A Troublesome Child
by sera131
Summary: In a large old house on the edge of the woods, there exists a dark secret. The limits of the SPR team are tested. This story revolves around the romantic relationship of Lin and Mai and their relationship with Naru. Heavily focuses on the dynamic of this trio. Case starts in chapter 4. Third in Trinity Soul Series. See profile for detailed timeline.
1. A Troublesome Child

**A/N:** This is the sequel to Awkward Confessions and Sway. This was written prior to Awkward Confessions, but after Sway, which was my first fanfiction. So, this is the third in what I named the Trinity Soul Series.

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

August 22nd

Around ten in the morning, Mai got a call from Ayako asking if they could meet up. Mai had agreed, but told her she couldn't meet for long. They met in the park, grabbing some cool drinks as they caught up on what Ayako had been up to these past few months.

After paying for their beverages, they went to a bench and sat down. Ayako could barely contain the questions she had for Mai. After a few more pleasantries, she decided she couldn't wait anymore.

"So, Mai," Ayako began slyly, "how long have you two been an item?"

Ayako had heard it from Yasuhara when the group had been out getting drinks last night. The group felt bad that Mai was excluded from their outings, but, even though she was of age, Mai had told them she preferred not to drink. They all worried that, working with _those_ two, Mai was turning into an isolated, abstinent old woman. Yasuhara had assured them that Mai was just fine, maybe even more than just fine. After whining about a broken heart, he dished the scoop.

Mai knew that Ayako was talking about her relationship with Lin and she had no doubt who Ayako had heard the rumors from.

"Well…" Mai trailed off, not quite sure of the answer.

She tilted her head slightly and paused for several moments to think.

"What?!" Ayako cried out. "You don't know? You weren't counting the days or something like that?"

Ayako was sure this was Mai's first relationship, so she assumed that Mai, still being a young girl, would count the days she had been with her first boyfriend.

"It's more that…" Mai hesitated, not feeling up to explaining the circumstances. "It's just not really clear."

"Ah, it's like that, then," Ayako mused. "Well then, when did you start doing things as a couple?"

"Such as?" Mai questioned.

"You know," Ayako began, "spending time outside of work, eating dinner together, etc."

"If it's like that," Mai said thoughtfully, "then a few years."

"A few years?!" Ayako exclaimed in disbelief.

Mai nodded. If she was going to put a date on it, it would have to be that. Even though she and Lin had only become sexually intimate within the last three months, they had been doing 'couple' activities for a while now. Although, most of those activities also included Naru.

In the time that the three had worked together, they had become, what Mai considered, a family. It had started with a few invitations from Lin to eat dinner with the pair. Eventually, the three had begun to eat meals together on a regular basis. Mai had even learned to cook meals catered to a vegetarian diet since it turned out that Lin and Naru weren't just picky eaters as she had originally thought.

Learning to cook for the pair made things easier, in relation to some cases, when the client was unable to accommodate their diet. After all, this particular diet wasn't very common in Japan and simply telling someone you're vegetarian or that you don't eat meat didn't always result in a vegetarian meal.

Regardless of all that, Mai often ended up sharing a quiet meal with just Lin. She found these moments to be very pleasant and her feelings for the quiet man blossomed over time into an intense love.

And then there were the times when Naru fell ill. Mai and Lin, acting the dutiful parents, would always nurse him back to recovery. Naru's health really was quite poor considering his low blood pressure and his anhidrosis. There was also the possibility that he might actually be anemic. Mai tried to ensure their meals always contained the nutrients they needed, but she suspected his poor health stemmed from malnutrition as a child, during a time before the twins had been adopted.

Naru's frequent sickness had led to some very long, emotional talks between Mai and Lin. They both worried over Naru's health constantly. Mai thought that, at least now, Lin had someone to share the burden of that worry with.

"Mai!" Ayako shouted, breaking Mai from her thoughts. "Why are you spacing out?"

"I was just thinking about all the time we've spent together," Mai replied calmly.

"That's sweet, but… a few years? You two must have been intimate for a while then, right?" Ayako questioned in a sisterly tone.

"Hmm…" Mai hummed thoughtfully. "No, not until just recently."

"Really? Geez, you talk as if it's nothing exciting at all," Ayako accused. "Wasn't there any anticipation at all?"

"We have quite the troublesome child," Mai said, feigning resentment.

"Eh?! Child?!" Ayako screeched in disbelief and worry.

"Yes," Mai said solemnly. "Naru is very demanding of his poor parents, but we're quite patient and understanding."

Mai was only joking, but Ayako didn't seem amused.

"It's scary the way you talk about it," Ayako replied warily.

"We figured it would happen when we had the time," Mai replied cheerfully. "Isn't that how marriages are sometimes?"

"You're very confident in your relationship," Ayako said sardonically.

"It's easy to be with a child who'll throw a tantrum if it doesn't work out as planned," Mai told her smugly.

"So it's a relationship of obligation, then?" Ayako asked doubtfully.

"Of course not!" Mai quickly replied.

"But doesn't it make you nervous what his parents will think?" Ayako questioned, trying to broach the subject gently.

Ayako had hit upon Mai's greatest worry. Lin's immediate family were a bit obstinate in their views of the Japanese. Actually, they hated the Japanese, and the British as well. And while Lin himself acknowledged this view as foolish in regards to interpersonal relationships, he had grown up with the constant reinforcement of this hatred. They had clashed on this issue before, although it only served to bring them closer. Still, disapproval from his family could be a potential deal breaker. Mai believed that Lin would forever be the dutiful son.

Sighing, Mai expressed her fears.

"It does worry me a bit," she admitted. "More than a bit, actually. We haven't discussed it, though. I'm not sure what his opinion on it would be."

Mai smiled sadly.

"I would hope that these feelings between us are stronger than familial disapproval," she said quietly.

"Feelings?" Ayako questioned.

"Of love," Mai clarified.

Ayako's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"It's that serious?" she asked.

Mai nodded solemnly. The sudden somber mood was discordant with the bright weather.

"We should go out to dinner sometime, all eight of us," Ayako said cheerfully in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"That sounds a bit bothersome, " Mai replied flatly, "but it would be nice to see everyone again. It's been a while."

Checking her watch for the time, Mai suddenly stood.

"I should go now," she announced.

"Wait! You aren't depressed, are you?" Ayako questioned worriedly.

"No, of course not." Mai responded, though she sounded subdued. "I'm just supposed to meet Naru and Lin-san."

"But it's Sunday, why are you— Wait a minute! You still refer to Lin in such a cold manner?"

Mai frowned

"It isn't like that," she insisted.

"All right, but don't be so sad, okay?"

"I won't," Mai promised, smiling as they parted ways.

~oOo~

When Mai returned to her apartment, she immediately called Lin.

" _Hello?"_ Lin answered.

"Good Afternoon," Mai said happily.

She really missed him and was glad to hear his voice.

" _Taniyama-san..."_ he exhaled softly.

Mai had to admit that even though it wasn't her given name, she loved the way he said it. It somehow meant so much to her.

"You sound tired," she joked.

" _I was waiting for you to call,"_ he admitted, _"I wasn't sure when you'd come over."_

There was a pause on the line.

 _"You are coming, right?"_

"Of course," she reassured, "I was planning on phoning earlier, but Ayako wanted to meet up to chat."

" _Anything wrong?"_ he asked.

"Not particularly," Mai replied indifferently. "She just heard a rumor."

" _I see,"_ Lin murmured. He had an idea of what it might be.

"It was fine," she reassured.

" _Is that Mai?"_ came Naru's voice on the other end of the receiver.

There was a pause and the sound of movement, so she assumed Lin had simply nodded like usual.

 _"Tell her I'm hungry… and also, I need tea."_

"How bothersome," Mai sighed.

" _I agree,"_ Lin replied.

She could hear the smirk in his voice.

" _Are you going to tell her?"_ Naru asked petulantly.

" _Taniyama-san, Naru says he is hungry and would like some tea,"_ Lin relayed.

"We really do spoil him, don't we?" Mai said conspiratorially.

" _Why do you still call her that,"_ Naru questioned Lin.

" _Because I respect her,"_ Lin replied as though it was obvious.

" _Just call her Mai,"_ Naru told him with annoyance.

" _I save that for special occasions..."_ Lin trailed off.

" _..."_

" _..."_

"Can you two stop talking about me like I'm not right here listening in," Mai asked, exasperated, wondering what looks the two were giving each other.

" _Sorry… we miss you, Mai,"_ Lin said quietly.

" _Ugh!"_ Mai heard Naru exclaim, followed by the sound of his arms falling to his side after being thrown up in the air.

Mai laughed a little.

" _Darling,"_ Lin began, _"our child is fed up. I thinking he's irritable from hunger."_

" _You two need to stop treating me like I'm your child!"_

Mai couldn't stop her laughter. She loved teasing Naru, but it was the best when Lin did it.

"You guys didn't eat breakfast?"

" _Something small,"_ Lin replied. " _We were waiting for you."_

"Then I should go make lunch and fill the thermos. I'll be there in a bit."

" _Be safe."_

"I will. See you soon."

After ending the call, Mai went to the kitchen to make lunch. She couldn't help smiling the whole time. She loved the little family the three of them made. It was different from how she felt about the Irregulars. Lin and Naru just filled a void the others couldn't.


	2. A Wordy Child

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

September 9th

Naru sat in his office opposite Lin and Mai. He neatly laid out several folders on his desk. He had thought this over long enough. Today, he would present his proposal to the pair. He would calmly state his reasoning, solidly backed by facts. They could not fail to see the logic behind his plan. Not even the somewhat slow-witted Mai— although, Naru admitted, with his and Lin's constant tutelage, she was becoming annoyingly sharp and perceptive.

"Naru, what is this about?" Lin asked, suspicious of the young man.

They hadn't had any clients recently and Lin didn't even want to hazard a guess as to why Naru had been acting so fidgety since this morning. He could barely hold his posture throughout the 48 form set.

"I have a proposal—" Naru began before being cut off.

"Which is?" Lin asked, still skeptical.

Naru pressed his lips together in irritation. Lin didn't often question him, which made Naru wonder if he himself was perhaps acting out of character. He didn't like that thought. Regardless, he wouldn't let his confidence waver before he had even begun.

"Cohabitation," Naru said briskly, confident in his decision.

"Between who?" Lin asked doubtfully.

"All three of us," Naru stated as he gestured between them. He felt it was completely logical.

"Naru—" Lin began to protest before Naru held up his hand to halt his complaints.

"Before anyone argues," Naru advised, "I would like to state my reasoning."

Lin gave Naru a look of defiance before conceding with a slight nod. In all of this, Mai was being unnaturally quiet. Naru figured she must be too shocked, if the slightly dumbfounded look on her face was anything to go by, which it usually was.

"My first point of discussion," Naru began, "is in regards to financial matters. While Mai is no longer as helplessly poor as she once was, the alleviation of her financial burdens would be substantial."

Naru paused momentarily, crossing his arms. He made an expression akin to having swallowed something distasteful.

"I don't want a college dropout on my hands," he said coldly.

"Hey!" Mai exclaimed in indignation. "I'm giving you the opportunity to justify yourself, at least don't insult me!"

"Fine," Naru said, waving his hand dismissively. "Continuing on, Lin and I, beyond our better judgement, have continued to reside in a hotel for over three years. It's beyond belief. Perhaps it was because we never intended to set down permanent roots in Japan. However, as it seems that our research will likely keep us here for an extended period of time, it would be prudent to secure a more manageable living situation."

Taking a moment to assess the expressions and body language of his audience, Naru felt secure in continuing in this vein.

"Moreover, in the past, Lin and I have relied upon hotel services to sustain us, but I believe Mai's cooking is passable in this regard."

Mai made a disgruntled sound at Naru's dig at her cooking.

"At least I can cook," she grumbled.

"Mai, please don't interrupt," Naru admonished, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"This child," Mai scoffed, crossing her arms and turning her head towards the wall.

"Look who's talking," Naru countered.

"Would you two knock it off," Lin interrupted, slightly jealous of the two's banter.

Lin would never admit it aloud, but he still felt like Naru was competition in regards to Mai's affections. He bitterly cursed this insecurity of his, making sure to keep his face expressionless.

"Very well," Naru agreed, attempting to reign himself in. "My next point addresses the nearly constant and unavoidable amount of time we spend in one another's proximity —training, eating, paranormal investigations, et cetera. We hardly have any privacy as it is, the proximity of cohabitation would be of little consequence."

Strangely, Naru actually didn't mind having the two around constantly. In the past, a situation such as this would have been intolerable to him.

"And finally," Naru continued, pausing to take a deep breath, "while this last point is somewhat influenced by my own personal opinion, I cannot disregard the validity of it."

Saying this, Naru averted his eyes, growing slightly nervous.

"And on this point... there is much validity," Naru stated, frowning at his wavering conviction.

He berated his sudden cowardice. He didn't like to admit it, but he was fearful of their reaction. This was the one point that mattered to him and he desired a favorable outcome.

After taking a moment to regain his bearings, Naru looked at the pair. They stared at him expectantly.

"I believe it's time for your relationship to progress to the next level," he stated firmly.

When neither of them said anything, he tried again.

"Marriage," he stated as if it was obvious.

"Naru!" Mai exclaimed, feeling he had overstepped his bounds. "You can't just dictate our lives like that!"

Lin quickly turned to Mai in surprise.

"You don't want to?" he asked.

"That's not what I meant," Mai said seriously as she directed her attention to Lin. "Of course I want to eventually, but—"

"Then it's settled," Naru announced. "We just need to fill out the required paperwork at City Hall. I've secured all of the necessary documents ahead of time."

Lin and Mai stared blankly at the folder that Naru was currently holding open. It was full of numerous documents. Several moments passed where no one said anything, however, after finally managing to tear her eyes away from the folder, Mai stood and grabbed Lin's hand.

"I need to speak with you privately," she insisted as she pulled Lin from his chair.

He followed after her obediently. She lead him next door to the soundproof resource room, quietly closing the door after they were both inside. They stood there silently, looking at each other. Mai wasn't sure what to say or how to address the issues nagging at her mind.

"You don't want to marry me," Lin stated calmly, breaking the silence.

He made sure to keep his voice emotionless in defiance of his inner turmoil. He didn't want it to be true, but he had to know.

Mai let out a long sigh.

"Have you even considered the issues involved with that?" she questioned, looking at him searchingly.

Lin frowned slightly.

"What issues?" he questioned.

"Your family," Mai stated simply.

Lin looked at her intently, his eyes hardening.

"What about them?" he asked coldly.

Mai hated when he did this. He was so sensitive about his family. It was the main reason they had never discussed this before. Now he had misinterpreted her words and was putting up his walls again.

"Don't you think they'd disapprove of me as a Japanese woman?" she asked him.

She was honestly afraid of his answer. She worried he would finally realize just how much his family would disapprove of her and end their relationship.

Lin was quiet for a few moments. He had already taken his family's opinion into consideration and he really didn't care if they disapproved of Mai. He loved her no matter what.

"Do you actually believe I care what they think of you?" he asked seriously.

"I don't know," Mai admitted.

"Mai," he said firmly, "it's my choice and I've chosen you."

Regardless of his words, Mai couldn't shake the doubt from her mind.

"But would you really not care," she questioned desperately, "or would you grow to resent me if they disowned you?"

"I told you, I don't care what they think," he stated, unwilling to budge. "And I hardly doubt they'd disown the family sorcerer."

"So then, you're confident they won't go against you?" she asked in annoyance.

She was dissatisfied with his last remark. He didn't seem to be taking the issue seriously. She wondered if he had even fully considered his family's reaction. She found it likely that their reaction would be all the more serious due to his importance in the family.

"Please don't doubt me," Lin calmly requested. "I'll only say this one last time. _I don't care._ I love you and that is the only thing that can influence my decision to be with you."

Mai couldn't take it anymore. He was always so calm and collected.

"But do you _want_ me, Koujo?" Mai asked, suddenly voicing her insecurity. "Is there any passion or are you just settling?"

She didn't think they were irrational questions. She could rarely break through his equanimity and regardless of how long they'd been considering it, they hadn't been intimate for very long, or that often. Mai was secure in her own feelings, but this made her worry that Lin didn't really want her.

Lin's eyes widened in shock.

"How can you doubt me, Mai?" he asked in disbelief. "Of course there's passion."

He didn't know what more he could say to reassure her of this, but he was desperate to express his desire for her. He wanted to tell her how much he always wanted to kiss her, how it was a want that sometimes consumed him. Even so, this need to express himself to someone was foreign to him and he couldn't find the words.

Still, Mai had difficulty reconciling Lin's words with the lack of emotion he expressed. She wanted to believe him, but she could never sense what he was feeling.

"You could have fooled me," she complained petulantly.

She knew she was acting like a child and she hated it. She didn't think he could ever want someone so childish.

Lin looked at her sadly.

"I'm starting to think this is about your lack of feelings for me," he admitted.

He couldn't stand it, all he wanted to do was end this argument and hold her. If this continued, and she confirmed his fears, he felt like he might lose his mind.

"You're wrong," Mai told him heatedly. "How could you doubt me? When have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?"

"Do you really have to ask?" he questioned, his old doubts resurfacing.

"That was the past! Before we were together!" Mai argued. "I was confused back then."

"It wasn't that long ago," Lin disagreed. "And we both know you never felt as strongly as I felt about you."

"That's not true!" Mai insisted. She couldn't bear these doubts he held, but she knew she had just voiced the same insecurities.

Lin was getting fed up. Why was she arguing with him if she said she felt the same as he did? Why wouldn't she marry him?

"Then why don't you want to marry me?" Lin demanded.

He wanted to know the real reason. He didn't know what reason she could still have after all this time. He didn't care what his family thought and he loved her completely. He had made that clear.

"Why don't you at least ask me?!" Mai questioned beseechingly, wanting to at least hear him say it himself.

"Fine!" Lin exclaimed.

He was suddenly angry at himself for not asking her directly. Not properly, at least. It was something he had been considering for a while now.

"Well?" Mai demanded.

Lin was even further upset that he had to be told to ask her. He wanted to do this on his own.

"Marry me!" he yelled. "Yes or no?"

That wasn't how he wanted to ask.

"Yes!" Mai cried out.

Frustrated tears formed in her eyes. She had been waiting for him to ask, but she hated having it forced out like this. She didn't want it to happen like this. It seemed things never worked out as planned.

Seeing Mai's tears, Lin immediately enfolded her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, feeling ashamed of himself. "That wasn't right of me. I wanted it to be different."

"No, I'm sorry," Mai replied tearfully. "I get scared at the thought of losing you. I know I just need to trust in you."

"Mai, it's okay," he reassured. "I get scared, too. This is still new for us. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to marry you."

Lin unwrapped his arms from around Mai in order to take her hands in his. He looked into her eyes sadly. He hated when his insecurities and inability to express his feelings hurt her. Making a decision, he knelt on one knee.

"Taniyama Mai, please forgive this obnoxiously taciturn man," he began, wanting to express so many things, "I've acted foolishly and I can only hope you'll take pity on me. I know we've had our ups and downs, but I've loved you for a long time now and I promise I will always love you."

Lin smiled gently up at Mai and she returned the smile, her eyes still watery from tears. He knew this was what he wanted and he was going to ask properly this time.

"Please, will you consent to being my wife, wholeheartedly and without any regrets?"

Mai's smile widened. This was how she wanted it to be.

"There's no question," she said quietly. "Yes, I'll marry you, wholeheartedly and without regrets."

She meant every word of it.

At this, Lin smiled brightly, rising to his feet to hug Mai once again. He was ecstatic and for once he couldn't hide it. He gently kissed her, never wanting this moment to end.

Unfortunately, it would have to. There was a loud knock on the door, which opened without pause to reveal Naru. He stared at them observantly like the mad scientist he was.

"Good, you've decide," Naru said as he took in the view. "Hurry up, Madoka's already waiting for us."

He could wait on the issue of cohabitation. This was more important at the moment.

"Mori-san?" Mai asked in confusion.

"You need two witnesses, idiot," Naru said in annoyance.

"Oh..." Mai said thoughtfully.

She took a moment to look down at Lin's hand next to hers before taking it into her own and entwining their fingers.

"Okay," she said happily, smiling up at Lin. "I'm ready."

* * *

 **Notes:**

The 48 form set - Tai Chi. Lin and Naru do this every morning shortly after Lin calls to wake Naru up at 7:00 am exactly. It's from the Ghost Hunt short story His Reality by Ono Fuyumi and translated by csakuras on LiveJournal.

Two witnesses - I looked it up, you need two witnesses in Japan. Once the paperwork is filled out, you're married and no ceremony is necessary. At least, that's what my general research told me. I'm not sure how long this would actually take. Could it be done in a day? Somehow, I want to believe Naru would make it happen.

Necessary Documents - I was vague about the necessary documentation that Naru gathered because I don't know. With Lin being foreign and Chinese, probably passport and Chinese Family Register (koseki). I think Mai would also require her Japanese Family Register (koseki).


	3. Married?

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

September 18th

"Married?" Takigawa asked, unable to believe what Ayako had just told him.

"That's what Mai said," Ayako replied, seemly unsure. "I talked to her the other day."

"How long?" Takigawa questioned.

"Mai said they filled out the paperwork last week," Ayako responded, "with Naru and Mori-san as their two witnesses."

"Man, it's that serious already? Didn't they just start dating a month ago," Takigawa asked skeptically, "wasn't that what Shōnen said?"

"He only _told us_ a month ago," Ayako corrected, "but at the time he said he wasn't sure how long it had been. He did say it seemed serious, though. I met Mai the day after and she said it had been a few years, but honestly she wasn't sure either."

"Man, that's messed up," Takigawa said as he scratched his head, "not knowing if you're even in a relationship."

"Now, now," John chimed in, "we mustn't judge their relationship."

"But doesn't it seem strange?" Takigawa questioned seriously. "This whole time we've worked with them, they've never shown any interest in each other. They've always acted so formal to one another..."

"Perhaps that's their way of showing affection for one another," replied John.

"Really, you think so?" Takigawa asked doubtfully. "I always thought she had a thing for Naru-bou."

"No, it was Gene," Ayako corrected.

"Man, Mai's tragic," Takigawa said sadly.

John and Ayako nodded in agreement.

"You know," Ayako began thoughtfully, "during our previous cases, Lin was always there to save Mai one way or another when she got into serious trouble."

"We all did, really," Takigawa responded.

"Matsuzaki-san has a point," John spoke up, "the only other person Lin-san protects like that is Shibuya-san."

"Talking with Mai," Ayako began, "I get the feeling it's been like that since the beginning, starting with the old school house."

Takigawa frowned.

"But wasn't he injured?" he asked.

It was their first case together, but he distinctly remembered Lin not being there except during the conclusion of the case.

"Exactly," Ayako confirmed with a nod, "but that's because he pushed her out of the way of a falling shoe shelf. It ended up collapsing on top of him."

"Wow, I never knew," John said in surprise. "No one ever really explained what happened."

"Originally, Mai thought she had only avoided it because she tripped," Ayako relayed, having heard it directly from Mai.

Takigawa and John looked thoughtful.

"Do you remember that case with the doll?" Ayako asked.

The two men shivered.

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"That's when Lin's attitude toward her really started to change," Ayako told the two. "You guys weren't there, but he was seriously worried when she fell down the well."

She paused in thought.

"But I think, during the case with Urado, something happened between the two because their relationship completely shifted."

"What do you think it was?" Takigawa asked.

"I can't say for sure…" Ayako admitted. "Mai mentioned they had an interesting conversation."

"Oh wait," Takigawa said suddenly, "I remember her saying how deeply moved she was by Lin's summoning."

"That's true," John agreed, "it was awe inspiring."

"But she _told_ Lin how moving it was," Takigawa said to the other two, "and he actually smiled."

The other two were surprised something like that happened. If they were honest, Lin rarely smiled and only for Mai.

"And when Mai found out about his shikigami," Takigawa continued, "she suddenly said how incredible he was. I think it might have made him blush."

"That case must have really built up her image of Lin-san," John commented.

The three of them frowned in concentration.

"I have a question," Ayako told them seriously, "Do you think they wrote each other when he went back to England?"

"She did say she got Shibuya-san and Lin-san's addresses," John told her. "Why do you ask?"

"They just seemed really comfortable with each other after he came back," Ayako told them.

"That's true," Takigawa agreed. "Naru and Lin were gone two months. If there hadn't been some kind of contact, considering Lin's personality, you'd think they would have been uncomfortable, not being used to each other anymore."

"That wasn't the case at all," John confirmed.

"But then again, it's hard to tell with Lin," Ayako pointed out.

"That is true," John conceded, "but now that I think about it, it seems like there really was always something there."

"Yeah, for sure, if they're married now," Takigawa laughed.

"Oh," Ayako said suddenly, "I just remembered, Mai said she and Lin decided to move in with Naru."

"What!?" the two men questioned at the same time.

"A love triangle?" Takigawa asked loudly.

"Now, now," John said, trying to placate him, "don't jump to conclusions."

"If they're using her—" Takigawa said angrily.

"Please, Takigawa-san!" John pleaded, upset at the prospect. "Don't say such things."

"Anyway," Ayako said, "I doubt that's the way it is. I haven't seen them together in a while because they've only been taking small cases, but Yasuhara-san was sure there was a strong bond between Lin and Mai."

"Hey wait a second," Takigawa burst out, thinking of a new possibility, "you don't think they're planning to move back to England, do you?"

"It makes a little sense," John said, taking it into consideration.

"It makes a lot of sense, actually," Takigawa replied, starting to list things off on his fingers. "Smaller caseloads, marriage, a planned move."

"That can't be how it is," Ayako replied. "Mai would have told me when I talked to her."

"And does she always tell you everything?" Takigawa countered.

"We could always ask them," John suggested.

"We should definitely drop by the office," Ayako decided.

~oOo~

"Naru," Mai complained, "all these places are so expensive. Will this really save us any money?"

"You really have no concept of the world," Naru told her reproachfully. "With two hotel rooms, Lin and I practically pay this amount every month. With our three incomes combined it will hardly be a problem."

"She's right, Naru," Lin said seriously. "With the office, we don't need four bedrooms. We can save a lot of money if we settle for two."

"You won't even consider it after I went through the trouble of finding these?" Naru asked, a little too innocently.

"You think I don't know you have others," Lin challenged. "I'm fine continuing to live in Mai's apartment."

"Fine," Naru conceded, pulling a stack of files out of the bottom drawer of his desk and handing them to Lin. "I'm already tired of sleeping in that cramped place."

"No one said that you had to stay with us," Mai grumbled.

"Your husband insisted," Naru said smugly.

"What?!" Mai asked, turning to face Lin with a questioning look.

Lin looked up from the files he was looking over. He stared at Mai expressionlessly. He figured it would dissuade her from getting upset at him or provoking an argument. She gave in with a sigh and Lin smiled inwardly, returning his attention to the files in his lap.

"Geez Naru," Mai complained, deciding to focus her displeasure on her boss, "we don't get any time to ourselves. Even the day we got married, we barely got to spend the night alone."

"Oh, I think you spent plenty of time together that night," Naru said, barely managing not to grin evilly. He finally had some leverage.

"Eh?!" Mai questioned, eyes wide in shock.

"You two aren't as quiet as you think you are," Naru teased, "or did you forget I was in the room next door? Hotel walls are quite thin actually—"

"Naru," Lin said warningly.

"Well—" Naru began before being cut off by the sound of the door opening in the main office.

Mai quickly jumped up from her seat.

"I'll go see who it is," she announced.

Naru and Lin listened to see who the visitor was.

"Bou-san!" They heard Mai say happily. "Ah, John and Ayako, too. What brings everyone here?"

Hearing this, the two men decided they might as well go join everyone.

"Well," Takigawa began, as Naru and Lin entered the front room, "we haven't seen you in a while."

"It has been a while," Mai said conversationally. "I was wondering when I'd see everyone again."

"We also had some questions regarding the team," John confessed.

Mai inclined her head, "Such as?"

"Well..." John said nervously, looking to Takigawa and Ayako for support. The two waved at him to continue. "Ah…that is, we were having a discussion and we had a similar thought that it seemed that perhaps..."

"Yes?" Mai prompted when it seemed like he wouldn't finish his thought.

Ayako spoke up, "Are the three of you planning to move back to England?"

Lin frowned at them. He wondered what gave them that idea.

"What gave you that idea?" Naru asked scathingly.

"Well," Takigawa said, raising his hand to list things off like he had earlier, "smaller caseloads, marriage, a planned move."

"Mai," Naru said with displeasure, "what have you been telling people?"

"What..." Mai said in confusion, "I only told Ayako that Lin-san and I got married. Oh and that we agreed to move in with you."

"Idiot," Naru scoffed, "you can't just carelessly tell people our business."

"Sorry I told a friend about my life," Mai replied insincerely.

"Whatever," Naru said as he turned to Lin. "Let's go settle on a place already."

"Hey you!" Mai called out as she placed her hands on her hips. "I have a say in this, too."

"Fine," Naru conceded before the pair retreated back to his office.

"Hehehe," Mai laughed smugly. "Being married to Lin-san has many perks."

John laughed nervously, while Takigawa and Ayako stared at Mai like she had gone crazy.

"You've finally lost it, Jou-chan," Takigawa told Mai.

"No, I'm just happy," Mai corrected, smiling contentedly.


	4. The Child Prologue

**A/N:** This chapter serves as the prologue of a case.

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

9:35 AM, Sunday, October 17th.

Location: Tokyo, Shibuya, Hiroo District. SPR main team shared residence.

Lin sat in an armchair in the living room. He was attempting to read a paper on recent techniques in image processing. The atmosphere was… strangely quiet. The fact that it was quiet wasn't what was strange. What struck the man as being strange was the absence of his flatmates.

It had only been two weeks since they had moved into their current apartment, but he was already used to their constant presence. Even if a large portion of their time was spent in silence, Lin was used to the two simply being there.

That wasn't to say that they never discussed anything. They often discussed work and Naru's theoretical analyses of unexplained phenomenon. Mai, too, took a great interest in their conversations. In the past, she had struggled with understanding the things they talked about, but, in addition to having grown accustomed to their way of speech, she had gained a great deal of knowledge of the paranormal.

In the past, he wouldn't have given it any thought, but now, Lin wondered at his solitude. His wife, he knew, was sleeping. Mai had told him she wanted to take a nap after showering. Recently, she often complained of fatigue after training so early in the morning, but since it was Sunday, she actually had the time to rest. Mai had taken to their training very well, but for some reason, lately she always felt tired afterwards. Lin wondered if it had to do with her powers. He told himself he would discuss it with her thoroughly later, then forced his mind back to the subject of the strangely quiet atmosphere.

Mai wasn't an issue at the moment. Lin knew she was safely tucked away in their bed. Naru, on the other hand, had not informed him of his destination. Naru had been reading on the couch before Lin had taken a shower, but he was absent when Lin returned to the living room. The only sign that Naru had been there was the book on the coffee table, which was the one he had been reading.

Being a highly meticulous man, Lin hadn't stopped at the living room. Lin had made sure Naru wasn't asleep in his bedroom, and looking outside, he saw that the car was still in the parking lot. Needless to say, Lin had also checked the front office and the surrounding property. It had been a fruitless search and Lin returned to the apartment, which brought him to his current situation.

He couldn't focus on the paper he had been reading. To say he was annoyed was an understatement. Although it was no longer Lin's job to monitor Naru now that he was of age, it was a years long responsibility that was hard to break from. He would have been at ease if Naru had at least left a note or told Mai.

'Maybe he did tell Mai,' Lin thought as he rose from his seat.

He made his way down the hall to their bedroom. The door was already open. Lin stopped just outside the room to observe Mai's level of consciousness. Her face was relaxed and she seemed to be in a deep sleep. Seeing her sleep so peacefully, he started to reconsider waking her. He knew that sleeping wasn't always a restful activity for Mai, and he was reluctant to rob her of this small bit of peace.

Still, Lin couldn't stop himself from going to sit beside her on the bed. He wasn't considering waking her anymore, but he couldn't suppress the need to be close to her. He felt incredibly fortunate that she had agreed to marry him.

He hadn't even realized the full extent of his feelings for Mai until he had left for England almost a year and a half into their acquaintance. He hadn't known how long his stay in England would last, but it turned out to be slightly less than two months. Even that short amount of time away from her was agony to him. He hadn't expected to have such a strong reaction to the girl's absence. The only thing that had allowed Lin to keep his normally impassive composure was the fact that Mai had written him several letters.

To say the least, after 16 hours of flying and a 10 hour layover in Moscow, Lin was inwardly ecstatic the moment he walked into the SPR office, even if Mai had immediately verbally assaulted them and pseudo-sweetly coerced Naru into taking the Agawa case. In that moment, he had vowed that he would never return to England unless Mai was right beside him. He loved this strong-willed, empathetic girl and he was never going to let her go. Even if…

A light touch on his forearm brought Lin back to the present. Mai had reached out to him, her eyes half open and hazy. She looked like she was in a trance. Lin wasn't sure if it was the proper time to ask her about Naru, but he figured it didn't hurt to try.

"Mai," Lin said softly, "where's Naru?"

Mai was silent for a few moments as she stared at him distantly.

"He's outside playing," she murmured.

"What?" Lin asked in confusion.

He knew they often teased Naru, pretending he was their child, but this seemed different.

"Mai, I checked outside," he told her. "Where did he go?"

"He's out playing in the garden," she replied calmly.

'This isn't normal,' Lin thought in alarm.

Suddenly, the grip on Lin's arm tightened. He was startled by a warm wetness that erupted beneath the hand that embraced his bare skin. Eyes wide, he quickly looked down at Mai's hand. It was red with blood. He hurriedly shifted his gaze back to Mai's face. Her peaceful expression had changed into one of fear.

"Please," she begged, "let him be. He's a good child."

"Mai," Lin said loudly in concern, "wake up!"

Mai didn't respond. She was still caught in the grasp of terror. Worried for her safety, Lin reached out a trembling hand to cup her face gently.

"Mai," he said softly, feeling slightly terrified, "please, wake up."

Mai blinked quickly in succession. The cloudy look in her eyes slowly began to recede as she woke from her daze.

"Koujo," Mai whispered, softly exhaling.

She reached up to lay her hand over Lin's. She briefly closed her eyes, relieved to be waking up with him there.

"Mai!" Lin said loudly, worried she would slip back into a dream.

She immediately opened her eyes.

"I'm fine," she reassured.

"Are you sure?" He asked, frowning deeply in concern.

"Yes, of course," she insisted.

Before Lin could say anything more, there was the sound of the front door opening and closing, signaling Naru's return.

"Naru," Lin called loudly, trying to keep the concern from his voice.

After a few moments, Naru appeared in the doorway to Lin and Mai's bedroom.

"...What's wrong?" Naru asked, looking between the two. His eyes widened slightly in shock when he saw Mai's bloody hand on Lin's arm. "What happened?!"

She quickly looked down to where she was holding Lin's arm before hurriedly letting go.

Lin kept his eyes fixed on Mai's face, trying to assess her condition. He quickly removed his shirt, before using it to wipe off Mai's bloodied hand. Ignoring the surprised cough from behind him, he looked over Mai's hand and forearm.

"You don't appear to be injured," he stated, relief evident in his voice.

After a moment, Lin lightly exhaled.

"I'll be right back," he told Mai gently as he rose to leave.

"I'd like a sample of the blood," Naru informed him.

Lin threw his dirtied shirt at Naru, giving him a warning glare before exiting the room. Naru and Mai quietly waited for him to return. They could hear the sound of the closet opening followed by the sound of running water. Lin returned with two washcloths. There were no longer any traces of blood on him. He went to sit beside Mai on the bed.

"Lie back," Lin instructed softly, "you're feverish."

After she did as she was told, Lin folded one of the washcloths and placed it across her forehead. The cool wetness was a relief against her heated skin. After releasing a sigh, Mai felt Lin begin to clean any remaining blood left on her hand.

"What happened?" Naru questioned once again.

"She had a vision," Lin responded in Mai's place.

"That's what the blood was?" Naru asked, already sure of the answer.

"Yes," Lin confirmed. "She was in a daze, half asleep, when she started talking to me. The blood wasn't there initially."

"Tell me," Naru calmly instructed Mai.

"It's a little fuzzy," Mai responded doubtfully.

"You don't remember?" Naru asked, slightly annoyed.

"I mostly remember an old house," Mai began, frowning in concentration, "it was near the woods."

She shivered before continuing.

"The whole backyard was surrounded by a wooded area… it was really scary."

She paused, trying to remember more details.

"What about the child, Mai?" Lin asked calmly.

Mai frowned slightly.

"Child... my son..." she whispered, starting to remember the dream.

"Son?" Lin questioned softly.

" _Her_ son," Mai corrected. "The woman I synched with."

Mai paused to think for a moment before continuing.

"Her son was outside playing in the garden. Her husband was looking for him. The woman was afraid of what he'd do to the boy, but... there was a different fear."

Mai paused, trying to think of what else she had been afraid of.

"The blood?" Naru asked.

"No, I don't remember any blood," Mai responded apologetically. "That's all I can remember."

"Can you draw any of the details, Mai?" Naru asked.

"I can't remember any faces," Mai said thoughtfully, "but I can remember the house really well."

Naru left the room briefly, returning with a pencil and pad of paper. He handed them over to Mai, who sat up, removing the washcloth from her forehead, before beginning to sketch out the details of the house. This was a skill she had honed over the years to be more helpful on cases. The sooner she did this after a dream, the better the details were. She had gotten good at it and it helped them solve cases faster. When she finished, she handed the pad back to Naru.

He scrutinized Mai's work, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"It isn't anything I recognize," he finally stated. "Lin?"

Lin shook his head after looking over the sketch.

"No," he replied.

"Do you think it could be an upcoming case?" Naru asked Lin.

Lin contemplated this for a moment.

"I seems likely, but I couldn't say for sure."

"What could it be otherwise?" Naru questioned.

"It's unlikely the spirit is connected to an area Mai has encountered recently," Lin stated. "It's doubtful either of us would fail to notice a house like this."

"It could be a mental connection from someone living," Naru speculated.

"A previous contact, perhaps," Lin confirmed. "If someone close to this spirit is seeking our aid, it could serve as a connection to Mai."

"It could be serious," Naru said thoughtfully.

"Will you accept the case?" Lin asked.

"It might be necessary if Mai is already connecting the line," Naru said seriously.

"Should we start preparations?" Lin questioned.

"Yes," Naru confirmed, "we should start our purification immediately."

"Understood," Lin agreed.

Naru turned to leave before pausing in the doorway.

"I guess there wasn't any point in buying those eggs now," Naru told them, slightly perturbed he had made a pointless trip to the store. He left without waiting for a response.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Mai's stomach that grumbled at Naru's statement. Mai laughed lightly as she put a comforting hand on Lin's knee.

"It's fine," Lin said, covering Mai's hand.

Mai could tell he was slightly disappointed. They hadn't had breakfast that morning, and Mai suspected that Lin was starting to regret waiting around for Mai and Naru to eat. If they had agreed to start purification, that meant they wouldn't be eating for a while. They always fasted at the start of a case in order to purify their bodies of any pollutants. While on cases, the three of them abstained from all animal protein. Although Naru excluded eggs altogether, Lin and Mai allowed both eggs and dairy while not on a case. Naru, being a tea addict, would sometimes drink his tea with a little milk.

Mai lightly squeezed Lin's knee.

"Don't worry, Koujo," she told him consolingly, "I'll make you any dish you want when the case is over."

Smiling, Lin leaned down to press his lips lightly to Mai's.

It wouldn't be long before they found out about their next case.


	5. The Child Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

9:45 am, Monday, October 18th.

Location: Tokyo, Shibuya, Dōgenzaka District.

The young boss and his two investigators arrived in Dōgenzaka fifteen minutes before the SPR office was set to open. The three ascended the escalator to the second floor. As they approached the blue-grey door at the back of the hall, they were greeted with the appearance of a young woman. She appeared to be around the age of twenty. Her black hair hung like curtains, framing her worry-worn face.

The young woman had been staring blankly at the floor until she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up from where she had been waiting to see the three smartly dressed individuals looking at her curiously. They were the epitome of professionalism. Seeing them had such an effect on the woman that her face instantly relaxed in relief.

If it were possible, the three seemed even more beautiful than when she had first met them all those years ago at the age of sixteen. She couldn't image how one small business could contain so many attractive people. And she knew there were several other attractive individuals who aided them in their work.

'Except for Yasuhara-senpai,' she thought playfully.

"Are you here for Shibuya Psychic Research?" Mai asked the young woman once she was in speaking range.

The two men on either side of her remained silent and expressionless. They seemed cool and detached. The young woman knew from experience that this was just the way the two men usually were and that she shouldn't take offense at their seeming indifference.

"Ah, yes," the black-haired women responded.

"The office hasn't opened yet," Mai began politely, "but please come inside and have a seat."

"Thank you," the woman replied, following the three inside.

"Please have a seat on the sofa," Mai said, taking off her coat.

After she had hung her coat, Mai walked over to the woman sitting on the sofa.

"Would you like some tea while we wait for Shibuya-san and Lin-san to settle in?" Mai asked.

"Yes, please," the young woman responded.

"By the way," Mai said, remembering there hadn't been introductions yet, "I'm investigator Taniyama Mai."

Of course, she was no longer Taniyama, but it had been agreed upon by the three SPR employees that she would continue to use her maiden name while at the office or on investigations. Lin and Mai, by law, were required to have the same last name. Mai certainly didn't mind taking the last name Lin, but using separate last names professionally prevented unnecessary complications.

"Yes, I know," the young woman responded. "We've met previously. My name is Hayashi Yuri."

"Ah! Hayashi-san from Ryokuryou High school?" Mai asked.

"I'm surprised you remember me," Yuri said pleased.

"Oh..." Mai said feeling slightly guilty, "I only remember the name. I'm sorry."

"That's still impressive," Yuri told Mai. "It was several years ago."

"Well," Mai said thoughtfully, "there were very few students who hadn't participated in Worikiri-sama. Also, the character for Hayashi is the same as Lin, so this left a strong impression."

"Ah," said Yuri, still feeling amazed Mai remembered her at all. "Lin-san is the tall one?"

"Yes," Mai laughed, "he is quite tall."

"Mai, tea," Naru ordered as he walked into the main room of the office.

"Yes," Mai said, turning in the direction of the kitchen.

Naru sat on the sofa opposite Yuri. He leaned his elbow on the arm of the sofa, pressing his index finger to his right temple. He wore a bored expression.

"I'm the boss, Shibuya, but I gather from your conversation with Taniyama-san that you already know that."

"Yes," Yuri replied, "I'm Hayashi Yuri. I was a first-year at Ryokuryou High School during the time SPR was there."

As Yuri finished speaking, she saw the skinny, tall man known as Lin-san quietly enter the main room and sit at a desk by the window. He began operating the computer. The sound of clicking and typing filled the silence in the room.

"Hayashi-san, do you have a request?" Naru asked the young woman.

"I do," she confirmed as Mai returned with a tea tray.

Mai set the tray on the table between the two sofas. She handed a cup to Naru, who took it without a word. She then handed a cup to Yuri, who thanked her immediately. Mai then lifted a cup and carried it back to Lin. He nodded at her in acknowledgement and she smiled in return. Lin then grabbed a file from the desk and handed it to Mai.

"Thank you, Lin-san," Mai said before returning to sit on the sofa beside Naru.

As Mai opened the file she held, pen in hand, she looked up at Yuri and said, "Please tell us your request."

"Well..." Yuri began, a little unsure of where to start, "we've lived in the same house for five years. There have always been strange little occurrences—"

"Such as?" Naru asked.

"Well," Yuri responded, preparing to count on her hand, "things such as the sound of floorboards creaking when no one is upstairs, light knocking sounds without a source, small objects falling—"

Naru interrupted the woman again.

"Did you notice anything strange about the objects when you picked them up?" he asked.

"Actually," Yuri said in thought, "they're always noticeably warm, even when it's cold out."

"I see," Naru said, "Anything else?"

"Sometimes there are small tremors that cause the doors to open or close," Yuri continued, "but my friends would always say they hadn't noticed anything at their houses. And we live away from the city near the woods—"

"You wouldn't happen to have a picture of the house," Naru interrupted yet again.

"Well, yes," Yuri said in surprise. "I have one from when we first moved in."

Yuri looked through her bag. When she found what she was looking for she pulled it out and handed it to Naru. His eyes widened slightly. There was a family of four, with a younger version of Yuri, standing in front of an large, old house. Even farther back, behind the house, the yard abruptly turned into tall trees.

"Lin!" Naru called out.

Lin stood from the desk. He grabbed a pad of paper from his bag and walked over to Naru. Lin handed the pad of paper to Naru and looked over his shoulder. Mai leaned in close to look at the photograph Yuri had given to Naru.

"That's it," Mai gasped.

"I agree," Lin told Naru after comparing the two images.

"What is it?" Yuri asked in confusion, feeling slightly unsettled.

Mai looked to Naru, wondering if he would tell the woman about her vision. He wasn't always forthcoming with sensitive information, and she refused to risk his ire by informing Yuri herself. It put them in a precarious situation, and Mai wondered why Naru would choose to be so open in his questioning. Instead of waiting until the end of the interview, Naru had jumped at the chance for visual confirmation of the house from Mai's dream.

'He must be on edge about what happened yesterday,' Mai thought.

Naru was aware of the situation he put himself in. He chastised himself for being so eager to investigate the case related to Mai's dream. He told himself not to be led along by that one clue. If he accepted the case, he would need to think clearly and investigate the facts based on the physical phenomenon that were occurring in the house.

"My investigator," Naru began, "has had a vision involving this house."

Yuri frowned at Naru's answer.

"Does that mean you'll definitely investigate my home?"

"It is likely," Naru told her, "but we have yet to hear the full details of the case. It may be beyond our purview. We also have strict requirements that you'll need to agree to."

"Alright," Yuri replied, nodding firmly.

"Please continue," Naru told her, schooling his features into indifference once again.

"Yes," Yuri began again, "as I said previously, we've lived in the house for five years now and while there have always been these strange occurrences, it wasn't until recently that something truly inexplicable happened."

"What was it?" Mai asked this time.

"My brother," Yuri told them, "was attacked by an invisible entity while practicing speaking English. He usually reads from a book and records it to check his pronunciation later on. The whole thing was recorded on tape."

"Do you have the tape with you?" Naru asked, interest gleaming in his eyes.

"Yes," Yuri confirmed, "I brought it along for you to listen.

"Lin," Naru said.

Lin, who had remained standing behind Naru and Mai, walked back to the resource room to grab a cassette player. He returned a moment later, player in hand. He set it on the table between them, then silently reached out a hand toward Yuri, waiting for her to hand him the tape. Once in hand, Lin inserted the tape into the player, closing it's door. He pressed the play button, then sat on the sofa next to Mai.

"October 16th," said a male voice.

The voice was deep, but still held the immaturity of adolescence.

" _The Raven_ ," the voice continued, "by Edgar Allan Poe. First reading."

There was a pause, then the sound of a voice being cleared.

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary," the male voice began slowly.

Mai had never read the poem before, but in recent years her English had greatly improved, so she was able to understand the words being read by the voice. Even so, the structure of the poem seemed somewhat esoteric to her and she had some difficulty understanding the actual meaning of the poem being read.

Mai had to admit that the boy's English was very good and she wondered how old he really was. She was never great at English and had struggled with it for a long time. She had never really applied herself in learning it, but Lin and Naru insisted on using it constantly in their notes. Mai had become so fed up that she forced herself to learn it well.

The boy's voice continued to read the poem for several minutes before knocking sounds began to manifest on the tape. Still, the boy continued to read, seemingly unable to hear the knocking.

"Never—" the boy's voice cut off abruptly.

There was a surprised yelp, followed by the sound of crashing. The knocking intensified. There were sounds of a struggle.

"Let me go!" the boy yelled.

The sound of struggling continued and was soon joined by the sound of something being dragged. The boy began yelling incoherently. The word, "help," could be heard intermittently.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and what sounded like air being pushed forcefully from someone's mouth. This was followed by the sound of a doorknob shaking as if someone was trying to open a locked door. A banging sound joined the loud knocking sounds.

"Satoshi!" cried a woman's voice. "Satoshi, what's happening?!"

"Mother!" the boy cried out. "Help!"

"Leave my child alone!" Satoshi's mother cried out.

Suddenly, the sound on the tape grew quiet. It seemed whatever had been causing the commotion had abruptly disappeared. The silence was interrupted by the sound of a door quietly opening.

"Satoshi?" his mother questioned softly.

There was a clicking sound, signalling the end of the tape. The four occupants of the SPR office sat in silence.

"How old is Satoshi-kun?" Naru asked.

"He just turned fifteen a few weeks ago," Yuri responded.

"Has he mentioned anything strange happening before?"

"Well," Yuri said, "just after his birthday Satoshi started complaining about the noises being louder. And he refused to be left alone in the house. He's very close with our mother, but lately he's been spending more time with her."

"Alright, can you tell me about all the occupants of the house," Naru requested. "Full name, age and occupation, including yourself and Satoshi-kun."

"Yes, of course," Yuri said, taking on a serious expression. "Hayashi Hideki, my father, is 53 years old; he owns an electronics company and is frequently required to travel for work. My father is currently away on business. Hayashi Keiko, my mother, is 42 years old; she has no occupation. Hayashi Satoshi, my brother, is 15 years old; he is a junior high school student. I am Hayashi Yuri, 20 years of age; I'm currently a university student."

'Wow,' Mai thought at Yuri's no nonsense tone, 'she sounds so professional.'

"You're very rational and cool headed," Mai commented aloud.

"Oh," Yuri said, slightly blushing, "all my family tends to be that way."

"It's an admirable trait," Mai said smiling, noticing the discomfort she had caused.

"What is the location of the house?" Naru asked.

"Futtsu in Chiba Prefecture," Yuri told him.

"Very well. We'll take your case," Naru informed her. "We'll need some time to arrange things, but we should be there within a few days. —Lin, fill Hayashi-san in on the details."

Lin nodded as Naru rose from the sofa. Naru entered his office, closing the door behind him.

"Please fill out your address here," Lin requested as he handed her a sheet of paper.

Yuri filled in the spot for her address, briefly glancing over the other information contained on the sheet. The sheet contained a detailed account of her interview. She handed the sheet back to Lin, who placed it into a folder.

"The expenses of the investigation are outlined here," Mai told Yuri, handing her a document.

Yuri looked over the document for a few moments.

"This will be acceptable," Yuri said, surprised at the small amount. "But do you really investigate for such a price?"

"Yes," Mai began. This was often the response they received when they discussed fees. "Our primary purpose is the research of psychic phenomenon, so we don't investigate with the intent of monetary profit. We often think of it as an exchange. We receive valuable data and in exchange, we try to solve our clients issues to the best of our abilities. There are times when we receive donations out of gratitude, and in these cases it is used to aid research activities."

Lin waited for Mai to finish her explanation. He felt an overwhelming sense of pride. She was well informed on all aspects of their business and she was very good at explaining the details to their clients. Lin honestly believed he and Naru would be lost without her. Mai was also becoming an expert on all of their equipment. Lin thought that if she improved herself anymore, she wouldn't even need the pair of them.

"If there is a blueprint of the building's construction," Lin told Yuri, "I would like to have it."

"Yes, of course" Yuri responded, "I will request it immediately."

Lin nodded.

"We will require a room to establish a base of operations— here we'll set up our equipment and monitor activity. Will this be acceptable?"

"Yes, definitely," Yuri consented.

"Additionally," Lin continued, "if possible, we request to work overnight during the investigation."

"Yes, whatever is required," Yuri confirmed.

"Then that will be all," Lin said dismissively.

"We'll contact you shortly," Mai announced with a pleasant smile. She stood and bowed politely, "Please take care."

"Thank you," Yuri said, bowing in return.

* * *

Notes:

Lin and Hayashi share the same kanji - it means woods (林)


	6. The Child Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** : All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

11:03 am, Monday, October 18th.

Location: Tokyo, Shibuya, Dōgenzaka District.

"It's definitely a poltergeist," Mai declared as she flopped gracelessly onto the sofa opposite Lin.

"You always assume that, Mai," Naru responded in a cold voice.

He had waited for Yuri to leave before returning to the main room.

"Well, look who's come out of hiding," Mai teased.

'Here we go again,' Lin thought, rolling his eyes. It was an effort, but he managed to keep from sighing.

Mai gave him a mischievous smile.

"I wasn't hiding," Naru replied in annoyance.

"Hmm… I wonder about that," Mai said as she sat up.

She crossed her right leg over her left. Leaning her elbow on her knee, she held her chin in her hand. She was attempting an exaggerated thinking pose.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naru asked, displeasure evident in his tone.

"Just that you seemed embarrassed," Mai told him sweetly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mai," he said harshly. "I have no reason for such a thing."

"I bet you were thinking, 'How foolish'," she declared, her face a perfect facsimile of a serious expression. "You were very eager about the case."

"What you say is only half true," Naru told her sourly. "This is probably the most interesting case in over half a year."

"So, then," Mai began, a slight smirk gracing her lips, "you didn't want Hayashi-san to see your excitement. That's what we call being embarrassed."

Naru sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'This must be payment for all the times I teased her,' Naru told himself. Even so, he couldn't say he regretted it. He had always enjoyed getting a reaction out of her, but she had learned to control her anger much better in recent years.

"If you keep doing that," Lin said to Mai, slightly perturbed, "he's going to resent you for knowing him too well."

Mai thought about Lin's words for a few moments.

"But isn't it his own fault?" she asked. "He was the one who forced us to live with him."

"That's true," Lin conceded, enjoying having Mai's attention directed at him. "We could always make him move out."

"Lin!" Naru exclaimed, snapping his head up in surprise. "Don't agree with her just because she's your wife."

Mai couldn't help giggling.

"I don't think he could live without us," she laughed.

"I could definitely live without your nightly activities," Naru retorted.

His comment had the desired effect. Mai blushed profusely. No matter how many times he teased her about it, Mai was still embarrassed about sex. He lived with them and they knew he was a light sleeper, so Mai shouldn't have been surprised that he could hear the pair at night. He could only conclude that she thought they were more discrete.

"You don't have to deny that you enjoy listening," Lin remarked.

He laughed as he watched Naru's face turn red. His comment also had the effect of causing Mai's blush to deepen, leaving a lovely hue upon her cheeks.

"Now that's embarrassment," he told the two.

He couldn't help himself. 'They're too cute,' he thought, standing from the sofa.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way," Lin announced, hiding his feelings of affection, "shall we discuss the case?"

Naru and Mai followed Lin uncomfortably over to the computer where he had been taking notes on the case. Lin sat at the desk, typing a few more notes into the open document. When he finished, he turned to look at the pair, face expressionless once again.

"As I was saying," Mai started, brushing off her embarrassment, "this case appears to exhibit at least seven of the nine phenomenon that accompany a poltergeist. Assuming what Hayashi-san described isn't the cause of a malicious prank, this would definitely be classified as a poltergeist."

"It's never safe to assume anything," Naru told her scathingly. "We're a research group. We require concrete data and hard facts."

"I understand," Mai said apologetically.

"Even so," Naru conceded, "the phenomena are suggestive of a poltergeist. Although, I wonder why it would only now choose to present itself. Could it be caused by Satoshi-kun himself?"

"I suppose we'll have to wait to test that," Mai responded with a sigh. "It would be disappointing, but he does meet the criteria."

"I agree," Naru told her.

"I'd like to analyse the sounds on the recording Hayashi-san left with us," Lin told them.

"Why's that?" Mai asked in curiosity.

"There's been some research into the acoustic patterns exhibited from known phenomena versus those exhibited during poltergeist activity," Lin stated. "I'd like to see if the acoustic patterns on the tape are comparable to the current patterns found in poltergeist activity."

"That would at least tell us whether this is a hoax or not," Naru acknowledged. "But it could still be caused by the boy."

"That doesn't exactly correlate to the dream I had," Mai answered doubtfully. "The dream would suggest a haunting by a previous resident of the house."

"This is true..." Naru contemplated.

"Should I contact Yasuhara-san to do some research?" Mai questioned.

"I can do the research," Lin quickly volunteered.

Mai pursed her lips in irritation.

"Koujo," she said, "I have no interest in Yasuhara-san."

"I just don't think we need to pay him for work I can do myself," Lin replied tonelessly.

"Won't you be busy analysing those acoustic patterns?" Mai asked.

"I can do both," Lin insisted. "You don't have to doubt my abilities."

"You don't have to doubt my loyalty," Mai countered bitterly.

"What happened with Yasuhara-san?" Naru asked, frowning in confusion.

When neither of them gave him an answer, Naru said, "Regardless of my many talents, mind-reading is not one of them."

"Nothing happened," Mai told him. "He asked me out and I refused."

"When was this?" Naru asked curiously.

"A couple of months ago," Mai told him, "when he came to give you those files."

'Oh,' Naru thought, 'that actually explains a lot.'

"Lin," Naru addressed, "stop acting like an idiot. Mai wouldn't have married you if she wanted a fool like Yasuhara-san. Besides, we hire these people so you can do more important things."

"I understand," Lin acknowledged, feeling suitably chastised.

"Mai," Naru continued, "go ahead and call Yasuhara-san."

"Okay, boss," Mai replied. "Should I call any of the others?"

"I'm not sure about that," Naru told her thoughtfully. "We've been managing well on our own recently."

"We should at least ask Masako," Mai suggested.

"Can't Mai sense the spirits on her own?" Naru asked, annoyed she would suggest the medium.

Mai waved off his suggestion, just as annoyed.

"You know I can't do that reliably with Gene gone now."

Lin bristled at the mention of Gene's name. It hadn't been long since he had moved on, if that was really what he had done. He had disappeared without any explanation to Mai and Naru. Mai was devastated to say the least. Mai had loved Gene deeply and Lin couldn't suppress the jealousy he felt towards Gene for being Mai's first love. It was the reason why he still viewed Naru as competition, Naru being Gene's exact copy physically.

Naru and Mai glanced at Lin nervously. They could feel the wave of anger rolling off him.

"Even so," Naru continued hesitantly, "you're still having dreams."

"But," Mai responded, "Masako's powers are the most useful when the spirits have a strong connection to the house."

"That's not always the case," Naru countered. "If they choose to hide themselves, she can't sense them at all."

"It's better than nothing," Mai told him.

"Fine," Naru conceded.

"And the others?" Mai inquired. "In the case we're unable to discover exact details or the spirit is unwillingly to be cleansed, we'll need their aid."

"You have a point," Naru reluctantly conceded. "With all the trees around, Matsuzaki-san might prove useful. But just in case, we might be safer calling Bou-san or John."

"So, should I call the whole team?" Mai asked hopefully.

"Fine," Naru agreed, sighing in exasperation. "If they're available, request their services as soon as possible."

"Yes!" Mai complied happily, going off to call the Irregulars.

'This just might prove interesting,' Naru thought to himself as he returned to his office.

"Mai! Tea!" he called before shutting his door.

* * *

 **Notes:**

Lin's comment about acoustic patterns - this is based off an article by Dr. Barrie Colvin in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR).


	7. The Child Chapter 3

**Disclaimer** : All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

7:30 am, Wednesday, October 20th.

Location: Tokyo, Shibuya, Dogenzaka District.

Mai sat sandwiched between Lin and Naru in the grey SPR van. They were leaving exactly on schedule, per Lin's obsessive habits. Lin was the type of person who arranged everything, which had to be carried out at an exact time. Mai and Naru hadn't dared waste any time lest they feel the wrath of the dark sorcerer. They had already been scolded once that morning and refused to repeat the experience. That was why they had remained silent for the rest of the morning.

As such, an uneasy silence fell over the van. Silence was not something the three were unfamiliar with, but the strained atmosphere was nearly suffocating.

"I'm sorry," Lin muttered, "I just wanted to leave on time."

He was greeted with silence.

"I didn't mean to get so upset," he tried again.

The two still wouldn't say a word.

"So, this is how the silent treatment feels," he groused to no one in particular.

It was an odd feeling, having your own eccentricities reflected back at you. He was usually the one not saying a word. Right now, he felt like the strict father who had scolded his children and he hated it. He didn't want to play that role in their relationship.

"Please, don't do this to me for the next three hours," he tried to reason with them.

Futtsu was a three hour drive from Tokyo and Lin didn't think he could deal with strained silence for the entire trip. He just wasn't used to it anymore.

He didn't know why they were making such a big deal out of it. Mai and Naru had been arguing all morning, teasing each other like usual, and it had started to annoy him. He had wanted to leave at exactly seven-thirty and the two were slowing progress. They also seemed more flirty to him than usual and it was driving him crazy. So he had snapped and yelled at them. He didn't think what he had said was that bad, but apparently it had been.

He couldn't quite remember exactly what he had said, but he thought it was something along the lines of, "Stop flirting and get back to work." And maybe something about if they didn't leave by seven-thirty he was going to make them wish they had. He had to admit that it did seem a little bad.

"Lin," Naru said after some thought. He was fairly sure he knew what the real issue was. "You have to understand that it isn't like that between us. Mai and I have never felt that way towards each other. It was Gene."

"Naru," Lin warned, "don't bring up Gene."

"Koujo," Mai said seriously, leaning her head on his shoulder, "we love you, so deal with it."

That was all Lin needed to hear. It dawned on him then that they knew more about what was upsetting him than he knew himself. He owed it to them to listen. He respected them both so much. He nodded his head for her to continue.

"I know this is something that's been bothering you for a long time," Mai acknowledged, "but I hardly knew Gene and I love you more than I had ever loved him. It's completely different."

Lin sighed deeply.

"I understand that," he admitted, "but for a long time, I didn't think I'd get to be with you because of Gene."

"But you are now," Naru told him, "so stop being an idiot."

"You're right— " Lin began.

"Of course I am," said the narcissist.

And just like that, the strained silence had lifted.

~oOo~

10:23 am, Wednesday, October 20th.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

The three arrived outside the Hayashi residence after their long drive. The house was built in an old architectural style and from the outside it appeared to have two floors. Mai remembered from the blueprints that the house also contained an underground room. Not only was the house tall, it was quite wide as well. The house looked exactly like the one from Mai's dream, but seeing it in person was a whole different experience for her.

"Wow, it's amazing!" Mai exclaimed.

"Why are you surprised?" Naru asked condescendingly. "You already knew it would be like this."

"It's different when I see it with my own eyes," Mai told him angrily.

"Calm down, Mai," Lin whispered into her ear as he placed a hand on her back in an attempt to placate her.

Mai shivered, closing her eyes. Lin's deep voice had the effect of relaxing her instantly. When she opened her eyes, it was to see a flustered Naru. She tried to hide her laugh, but Naru noticed and turned away in a huff.

"Try to refrain from physical intimacy while we're on a case," Naru told the pair in irritation.

Yuri and her mother, Keiko, came out to meet the trio.

"I'm glad to see you," Yuri told them.

"Please forgive the intrusion," Mai said politely as she bowed.

"Welcome," Keiko greeted and bowed in return.

"Will it just be the three of you?" Yuri asked.

"No," Mai answered apologetically, "four others will arrive at various times. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Not at all," Keiko reassured. "We have many rooms and we are happy that you have taken our request."

The SPR team was shown into the house. The inside was expansive, with many rooms on the first floor, and the interior design looked expensive.

"Amazing," Mai praised.

"Thank you," Keiko replied.

She bowed her head slightly in appreciation.

"We've set this room aside for your equipment," she added as she led them to a room off the right side of the entranceway.

Sliding open the door revealed a large 24 tatami mat Japanese-style room. Again, Mai had seen the blueprints, but she still continued to be amazed. This whole room was set aside for them. It had been a long time since they had so much room for their equipment.

"We cleared out the furniture for now," Yuri informed them. "We hope this meets your needs."

Naru nodded in response, then turned to Mai and Lin.

"Let's get to work," he instructed.

They started by bringing in the steel pipes required for their shelving. After all the necessary parts were in the base, the two men left Mai to build the shelves. They made several trips back and forth while she worked.

When she finished with the shelving, Mai looked around the room. There was a large amount of equipment aligned neatly along the far right wall. It was a small part of the growing number of instruments they had amassed over the years. This was because there was always some new piece of equipment that Naru wanted for investigations and Lin had happily encouraged his obsession, always taking the initiative to set the gears in motion. Mai readily admitted that her husband was a tech otaku. If he got excited about anything, it was electronics.

Mai let out a small sigh. There was still a bit more to bring in. Because the house was so large, they had to bring a lot of equipment. Mai was at least glad Keiko had set aside such a large room for them.

As she was assessing the equipment, Mai felt an unknown presence behind her. She hadn't heard anyone approach, so this surprised her. She quickly spun on her heels toward the door. Standing just outside the room was a teenage boy wearing a serious expression, his arms folded behind his back. His long ebony bangs covered the upper right half of his face. He reminded Mai of a shorter, more boyish version of Lin.

"Hello," Mai greeted hesitantly, "are you Satoshi-kun?"

The boy frowned, appearing displeased, but remained silent.

"Hey!" Mai exclaimed. "It isn't polite to ignore someone."

The boy inclined his head, narrowing his dark eyes. Mai sensed that something was off about him. His expression was cold and clinical. It felt like he was examining her, preparing for an experiment.

As she saw the boy take a step forward, Mai took a step back. She didn't know why, but somehow, it felt as though she shouldn't be near this boy. The boy stopped and Mai decided to put as much distance as possible between them. But as she stepped back, she tripped over her own feet and fell. She let out a surprised scream.

"Mai?!" came Lin's concerned voice as he rushed into the room.

Quickly sitting up, Mai blinked several times. The boy was gone. In his place stood Lin.

"What's the matter?" Lin questioned, frowning slightly.

"I'm not sure… " Mai answered, suddenly frightened.

'What was that just now?' she wondered.

"I heard you talking to someone," Lin told her.

"What's going on?" came Naru's voice from behind Lin.

"I… " Mai tried, but the words wouldn't come out. A spike of fear caused goosebumps to form over her skin.

Lin set down the monitor he had been carrying, then walked over to Mai and knelt down beside her.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

Looking at Lin's face, Mai reached out a trembling hand to brush the hair from his right eye. She was still too frightened to bear that resemblance to the boy. Mai allowed herself to quickly take in his strong, masculine features. She saw concern in his eyes, the light blue-green color of his right offsetting the soft grey of his left. She sighed in relief, allowing his forelock to fall back in place. This was her husband after all, not some terrifying apparition.


	8. The Child Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

11:35 am, Wednesday, October 20th.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

After calming down, Mai quickly told Naru and Lin about the boy she had seen and the feeling she had gotten from his presence.

"Can you sketch his face?" Naru interrogated.

"Do I have to?" Mai asked reluctantly. She'd rather not receive his answer.

There was the sound of someone approaching. "Is everything alright?" Yuri's voice cut in.

"Yuri-san!" Mai said happily, hoping Naru would forget the subject of the boy's face. She hadn't mentioned the boy's resemblance to Lin. She knew it was wrong of her, but Mai didn't want her husband to know that, for a brief instant, she was afraid to look at his face.

"Did something happen?" Yuri asked.

"I just tripped and scared myself," Mai laughed in an attempt to cover her jittery nerves. She knew that Naru wouldn't want her to reveal anything until they confirmed what had happened.

"Is Satoshi-kun here?" Naru questioned Yuri.

"No," Yuri responded, "my mother felt it was best that he stay with a friend for now. I hope that's alright."

"We shall see," Naru said, "but I would like a chance to talk with him."

"He'll be home this evening for dinner," Yuri informed him.

Naru nodded and turned his back on her dismissively. Yuri hesitated briefly before leaving the room.

"Don't think I've forgotten, Mai," Naru said scathingly. "Now sketch!"

Sighing, Mai began to sketch the boy's face. It creeped her out. She didn't want to see his face again, but she remembered it clearly.

"I see," Naru said after she had finished. "That's why you reacted the way you did."

"What do you mean?" Lin asked. He hadn't noticed the resemblance.

Mai looked at Naru pleadingly, silently begging him with everything she had.

"If you don't tell him now, one of the others will unthinkingly point it out," Naru told her callously.

Lin looked to Mai questioningly.

"It's only that," Mai began hesitantly, forcing herself to make eye contact with Lin, "he had a slight resemblance to you."

"Oh," Lin said, remembering how she had reacted.

He looked at the sketch. He didn't think it was that close of a resemblance besides the hair that covered the right side of his face.

"Mai, it's perfectly alright," Lin calmly told her.

He was satisfied with the fact that she had relaxed after viewing his features. He didn't think it was an issue worth getting upset over.

"We still have work to do," Naru told the pair. "Mai, help us carry the equipment. Make sure you stay close and if you see the boy again, use your spells."

"Okay," Mai said feebly.

She hadn't missed Naru's tone. The moment she sensed something was off, she should have at least used the Seal of Acalanatha. If the boy had been human, it wouldn't have harmed him.

"And here I thought Mai's IQ increased," was Naru's parting remark.

After they had moved all the equipment into the room, they proceeded to install it, connecting the computer and monitors with cables. As they progressed, the floor was slowly covered with various cords. After everything was connected, Mai picked up a clipboard to check the transported equipment with a memo of the gear they brought.

When done, Mai handed Lin the memo and he took it from her with a nod. She looked down at the next memo on her clipboard. She would need to take temperature readings of all the rooms next and there were a lot of rooms. Mai saw the monitors brighten out of the corner of her eye as she was contemplating how exhausting the setup would be.

"Excuse me," Yuri said from the door.

Mai and Naru turned their attention towards her.

"Yes?" Mai asked politely.

"If you'd like, we have a chabudai and zabuton set aside for this room."

"That will be fine," Naru responded. "—Lin."

Lin stood from his seat at the computer and walked to meet Yuri at the door. He followed her as she showed him out of the room. When they returned, Lin was carrying a short-legged table. Coming in behind him, Yuri brought several cushions. Lin set down the table and quickly returned to his seat. Mai went to help Yuri setup the cushions.

"If you'll excuse me," Yuri said, "I've made tea."

"Would you like some help carrying it?" Mai offered.

"Thank you, but I can manage," Yuri told Mai with a smile. She then left the room to fetch the tea.

"Wow," Mai said admiringly, "Yuri-san is so amazing."

Mai respected her polite and cool-headed demeanor. It was a contrast to her own carefree, emotional attitude. There was a short, dry laugh from Naru.

"Lin," he drawled, "I think there's someone else for you to be jealous of."

"What?!" Mai exclaimed. "It's not like that!"

Lin briefly glanced at Naru from the side, then returned his attention to the computer.

"I know what Mai likes, Naru," he said calmly, "and no woman could ever give it to her."

Mai was so embarrassed she felt like dying. The only consolation was that it seemed Naru felt the same. She couldn't see his face, but the back of his neck looked like it was on fire. He didn't say a word in response. Mai would have to have a talk with Lin later. With a simple sentence Lin could effectively shut Naru down, but it was often at the expense of her modesty.

Yuri entered the room with a tray of tea and set it on the table.

"Will you join me for tea?" Mai asked.

"I'd like that," Yuri said and took a seat at the table.

Before she sat down, Mai poured tea for both Naru and Lin. She took it to them, then returned to sit at the table with Yuri.

"You've brought an impressive amount of equipment," Yuri commented.

"Well," Mai said, "it just makes the manual labor more difficult."

"But the company at least makes up for it?" Yuri asked.

Mai looked at her sideways, wondering if she was joking.

"You're kidding, right?"

Yuri looked at Mai in surprise.

"Well, I hadn't meant it that way," she admitted.

"They kind of have bad attitudes," Mai told her quietly.

"I suppose that's no good," Yuri conceded, lowering her voice, "but they're nice to look at."

Mai laughed quietly at Yuri's comment.

"Oh, I see what you mean now."

She could tell the always polite Yuri was eager to gossip.

"They are quite handsome," Mai admitted, "but they're off limits."

"Oh," Yuri said, slightly disappointed, "it must be difficult to work with such handsome men without being able to date them."

"I'll let you in on a secret," Mai whispered conspiratorially, "I'm romantically involved with one of those handsome men."

"The tragically beautiful one or the mysterious one?" Yuri asked in serious interest.

"I'd like to think that I enjoy a good mystery," Mai responded quietly with a sly smile.

Yuri's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're really dating that quiet gentleman?"

"Actually," Mai whispered as she leaned forward, "we're married."

Yuri gasped at Mai's words. She hadn't been expecting such a huge revelation. Of the two, he seemed the most aloof and serious. His demeanor was the complete opposite of Mai's friendly and cheerful nature.

"Mai!" Naru called out in annoyance. "Stop talking about your romantic life and get back to work."

He didn't bother turning away from the monitors.

Standing up, Mai quietly grumbled to herself, "Stupid narcissist. Why does he have such supernatural hearing?"

"I'm just blessed," was Naru's smug reply.

"So not cute," Mai replied unhappily.

She motioned for Yuri to follow her as she left the room in a huff, her clipboard held to her chest angrily.

"I see what you mean by bad attitude," Yuri commented as she followed Mai down the hall. "—Where are we going?"

"Oh!" Mai said, stopping suddenly. She spun around to face Yuri. "I'm sorry, I need to conduct a preliminary investigation. Could you show me around, please?"

"Certainly," Yuri consented.

Yuri led Mai to the living room, watching as she pulled a small machine from her pocket and set it on the table.

"Is it alright if I ask what that is?" Yuri questioned.

"It's a digital thermometer," Mai answered offhandedly. "The temperature will often drop in places where spiritual phenomena occur. We take temperatures before setting up equipment in a room so we know where we should focus our surveillance."

"You're very knowledgeable," Yuri told Mai, her voice full of admiration.

"It's because my boss is strict and overworks me," Mai said with a mischievous smile. "At least, that's what I would have said in the past, but now it's from years of hard work and study. Also, I'm frequently asked these questions during investigation, so I've perfected my responses."

"I'm sorry," Yuri apologized. She felt guilty for asking questions she felt Mai was probably tired of hearing.

"Don't be," Mai told her kindly as she recorded the temperature on her memo. "I don't mind, so ask me all the questions you want. If something is off-limits, I'll politely refuse. —We should move on to the next room."

"How do you keep track of the temperatures?" Yuri asked as they walked into a new room.

"Lin-san made me a beautiful diagram," Mai told her playfully as she showed Yuri the clipboard. It had a smaller version of the house blueprints and each room had a label. "He's quite the artist."

Yuri laughed at Mai's comment. She was enjoying Mai's company a lot. Yuri didn't have a large amount of friends, but the few she had were all very serious people. She figured it was just the kind of people she attracted.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Yuri asked timidly.

"If it's not too embarrassing," Mai responded as she checked the temperature again.

"Well..." Yuri hesitated. "I just wonder what it's like."

"It?" Mai asked, not understanding what Yuri was referring to.

"Sex," Yuri said quietly, blushing.

She didn't have any experience with boys and neither did any of her friends. But Mai, she now knew, was a married woman. So, naturally, Yuri was curious.

"Ohhh," Mai said, nodding in understanding. "Well… it's pleasant."

She couldn't think of another way of describing it. She didn't know why, but the discussion of sex often caused her to feel embarrassed.

"But, that of course depends on who it's with. If it's the right person, then it's fine."

This is what Mai said aloud, but she honestly didn't know from experience. Lin was the only person she had been with and she never had any complaints about him.

"It isn't uncomfortable?" Yuri asked. "Considering that you're so petite and Lin-san's so...big."

Mai blushed at Yuri's statement. 'You don't even know,' Mai said inwardly. 'This is really too much! I thought Yuri was a good girl.'

"Well… " Mai said, pausing for a moment to think.

Her first time with Lin had been uncomfortable at first, but he had been so gentle that the discomfort only lasted for a few moments.

"Again," Mai said, feeling a little more courageous, "it depends on the person, but often you'll find that's a good thing."

This statement caused Yuri to blush again and she hid her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I don't know what came over me. I was just curious."

"It's alright," Mai reassured. She felt less uncomfortable knowing that Yuri shared her same awkwardness at these sorts of topics. "Let's go finish taking these readings."


	9. The Child Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

3:47 pm, Wednesday, October 20th.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

"I'm back," Mai announced as she entered the room.

"Why are you always so slow," Naru's cruel voice asked rhetorically. "The results?"

Mai decided not to comment on his rudeness. There were a lot of rooms and she hadn't dawdled. She was much faster than when she had first started and she knew Naru was aware of that.

"There were two rooms in particular that seemed to have especially low temperatures," Mai reported. "Room 1-3, which is the kitchen, and room 2-2, which belongs to Satoshi-kun."

"What are the temperatures?" Naru asked.

"Ten-point-three-two degrees and four-point-six-seven degrees respectively," Mai reported as she handed Naru the clipboard.

"Hmm..." Naru hummed.

He quickly glanced over the results before handing the clipboard to Lin, who quickly input the data into the computer.

"How's the foundation?" Mai asked, assuming they had already checked it.

"It's fine," Naru answered. "Lin checked it earlier. The house isn't slanted, and while there's a creek nearby, it flows parallel to the back of the house."

"He went into the woods alone?" Mai asked in alarm.

"I did not go far," Lin reassured her without pausing in his work at the computer.

"It's you who shouldn't go off on her own," Naru bluntly responded.

Mai nearly lost her temper, but kept it in check. She figured it was mostly true anyway. Instead, she smiled a sweet, insincere smile.

"But isn't it true that Naru-chan should stay close as well?" she retorted.

Naru looked at her with a sour expression, but didn't offer a reply. She knew just as well as he did that he couldn't perform repulsion spells like she could.

"At any rate," Mai continued, abandoning their previous conversation, "what's our current plan of investigation?"

Naru contemplated Mai's question.

"I'd like to go ahead and set up equipment in Satoshi-kun's bedroom immediately."

"Thermography?" she asked.

Naru nodded.

"Take care of it, then we'll consider other equipment."

Lin stopped typing and turned to face Naru with a blank expression. Naru tilted his head, crinkling his brow in thought. Lin didn't have to voice his concerns. They had just had this discussion and Mai was wont to attract trouble. The temperature in the base was nominal so there was a larger chance of something taking place in the other room. After another moment of thought, Naru finally nodded to Lin.

"It's best not to let her get into trouble so early on," Naru said aloud mostly to annoy Mai.

"Like it bothers me," Mai muttered as she crossed her arms.

Lin rose from his chair and walked over to the wall to pick up one of their thermographic cameras as well as one equipped with night vision. Mai grabbed a pair of headsets, then went to join Lin. She picked up a special tripod and wall mount, then picked up a bag of cords, which she slung over her shoulder. The two checked the headsets with Naru before going upstairs to Satoshi's room.

~oOo~

Mai opened the door to the room. It was a decent sized Western-style room. Unlike the downstairs, which mostly contained Japanese-style rooms, all the upstairs rooms were Western-style.

" _Do you sense anything?"_ Naru asked over the headset.

Mai cautiously entered the room and looked around. Everything was neatly arranged and there was a large bookshelf packed with books, but she didn't sense anything.

"No," she answered.

" _Lin?_ "

At Naru's questioning voice, Mai looked over her shoulder towards Lin. He had picked up a book from the desk. It was a faded, black hardcover book. On its cover was an intricate gold-leaf inlay, but there wasn't a title or words of any kind.

"Nothing at present," Lin responded.

"What's that?" Mai asked.

Lin gently flipped through the book.

"I believe it's the book Satoshi-kun was reading during the incident on the recording."

" _Does it seem peculiar?"_ Naru inquired.

There was a moment of silence as Lin examined the book more closely.

"It's nearly twenty years old," he calmly replied. "The printing date is 1975."

"I wonder where he got it," Mai pondered aloud.

There was a brief pause.

" _I'd like to take a look at it,_ " Naru told them.

"Naru," Mai growled warningly. Both men were surprised it hadn't come from Lin. "You're not touching this book by yourself."

" _I didn't plan to,_ " Naru told her. _"Just set up the cameras then bring the book down._ "

"You don't have to hold a grudge," Mai said heatedly. "I'm just looking out for you."

Naru didn't respond.

"Hand me the cable," Lin requested, breaking the brief silence.

He had already set up the tripod. Mai handed him one of the cables, which he then plugged into the moveable arm that sat atop the tripod.

"Naru, please test the motion."

" _Left first,"_ came Naru's voice as the arm moved left.

"Good," Lin said in regards to the motion.

" _Right,"_ Naru said as the arm moved right.

"Good," Lin repeated.

" _Centering,"_ Naru informed them, then the arm recentered itself.

"...Please wait," Lin told Naru.

He then pulled out a small pouch from his pocket. The arm was slightly off center and he went over and realigned it.

"Proceed."

They continued the procedure for the vertical axis and when Lin confirmed it was in working order, he firmly attached the camera.

" _Mai, don't make Lin do all the work,_ " Naru berated.

'He's really in a mood today,' Mai thought.

He had one scathing remark after the other. She decided it was best to remain quiet and set to work setting up the wall mount for the thermographic camera. It needed to be placed high enough to take in the entire room, so she borrowed the desk chair to stand on. It really was a job better suited to her tall husband, but she was unwilling to let him do all the work.

"How's it look?" Mai asked after setting up the camera.

" _It's fine,_ " Naru responded, " _now link the cameras so we can do the temperature calibration._ "

"Okay, boss," Mai answered and did as she was told.

They then proceeded to test the camera's tracking using a pouch containing a mix of dry ice fragments and round bearings.

~oOo~

Mai slid open the screen door as she and Lin arrived back at the base. She sighed as she stood in the doorway. This next ordeal would be exhausting. Lin placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.

"It's easier with the both of you," he whispered into her ear.

"I know," Mai responded quietly.

Naru looked over his shoulder to the pair.

"What are you two whispering about?" he asked.

"Nothing that concerns you," Mai told him calmly as Lin walked past her.

"Doesn't it?" Naru smirked.

"Naru," Lin interrupted, "it will be difficult if you can't synch your wavelengths."

Naru made a disgruntled face.

"That's just a lack in Mai's ability."

"You know I'm better than before," Mai said angrily. "Did you not get any sleep? Your mood is foul."

Naru didn't answer her. It was the truth. The anticipation of this case had kept him up most of the night and by the time he had finally fallen asleep it was already time to leave.

Lin looked doubtfully at the pair. He was worried that Naru's mood was having an ill-effect on Mai. Her empathy, they had discovered, was a low-level form of telepathy. Mai could even read someone's surface thoughts if she could synch her wavelength well enough with them. She had done it accidentally in the past, thinking a person's thoughts before they said them aloud. In regards to Naru, she was able to view his visions during psychometry. With enough concentration, she could even shield Naru from experiencing the injuries of the people in his visions.

"Let's just do it," Naru replied petulantly.

After saying so, he went to sit on the floor and placed his back against the wall. He crossed his legs and waited for Mai to sit down in front of him.

Mai looked to Lin, who nodded to her before proceeding to kneel next to Naru. She then came to sit in front of Naru herself and crossed her legs as well. She closed her eyes, easing her breathing as she tried to concentrate. Slowly, she reached out with her mind, attempting to connect the line between her and Naru's consciousness. The line quickly snapped into place and she could feel his fractured nerves. She let soothing emotions flow from herself in an attempt to calm him and he immediately accepted the relief. Such was why Mai considered Naru's consciousness much easier to deal with than the man himself.

Lin watched as Naru's face eased. To him it seemed that they had synced almost immediately. When Naru finally nodded to him, he handed over the book he had found in Satoshi's room. He trusted the pair's abilities, but he still worried for their safety.

Naru concentrated his consciousness into his fingertips, attempting to read the history of the item. He felt himself pulled in by a strong force and Mai pulled him slightly back, which he was thankful for. He could tell that the book had been the possession of a youth who placed very strong emotions in it.

Instead of viewing the scene from a first person perspective, Naru was viewing it from without. He looked around. He was in the woods and it appeared to be early autumn. He allowed himself to drift slowly deeper.

As the scene sharpened, the sound became amplified. There was shouting a short distance off. Looking in the direction of the commotion, Naru could see two teen boys struggling on the ground. He recognized one of the boys as the one from Mai's drawing. That boy had the other pinned down with his hands around his neck.

Naru then felt himself being knocked back and his mind was filled with a state of panic. He knew he had now synced with one of the teens. He rolled over, his vision blurry. He could see the other teen running from the woods.

He was suddenly yanked back by his ankle. Whatever had pulled him was now dragging him along the ground, but before he could do anything more, he blacked out.


	10. The Child Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

5:00 pm, Wednesday, October 20th.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

" _Naru…_ "

Naru opened his eyes as he swiftly regained his awareness of the world around him. This sudden return of his senses was jarring. He could painfully feel the muscles of his irises tighten as they contracted his pupils. The chill of the wall behind him stung his back and the feeling of Mai's knees pressed against his own was uncomfortable. A sudden assault of mixed odors overwhelmed his newly awakened sense of smell. He quickly closed his eyes and frowned deeply. He regretted it instantly as the combined force of Mai and Lin's worry invaded his mind. Mai was losing her control.

"Get out," Naru choked out, his voice raspy.

The line immediately snapped as Mai pulled back her consciousness. The sudden blanking of his mind felt refreshing. He wasn't used to such strong feelings. Such a fast recovery of his senses after psychometry was also new to him. With Mai, there was less of a shock on his body, but he was more attuned to the world afterwards.

"Sorry," Mai said weakly.

She had sensed Lin's worry for them and let it, along with her own, slip through her connection to Naru. What she had seen was confusing and it had ended abruptly. Seeing that boy's face again had also unnerved her.

"What happened?" Lin asked.

"The memories are fragmented," Naru replied. "Either the owner is unaware of his death or something is blocking the information. Perhaps both."

"The memories belonged to that boy?" Mai asked.

"It would appear so," Naru confirmed.

"Do you think what I saw earlier was his ghost?" Mai questioned nervously.

"It's hard to say," Naru admitted. "You said he appeared corporeal. It's more likely to have been your retrocognition. That's perhaps why Lin didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when he found you."

Mai contemplated Naru's words. She usually only saw visions of the past in her dreams, but it wasn't out of place for her to view these sorts of events while awake. Though, embarrassingly enough, she might have been half-asleep while standing. This was also not unheard of when it came to Mai.

Mai brought herself back from her stray thoughts. She was curious about what she had seen while mentally connected with Naru.

"What do you think attacked him?" Mai asked.

"It would be detrimental to speculate," Naru replied tonelessly.

As he finished this statement, there was sound of the front door opening.

"I'm home," called a boy's voice from the entryway.

Mai recognized it as the voice of the boy from the recording.

"Welcome home," came Keiko's voice.

" _Finally_ ," Naru muttered.

~oOo~

Naru and Mai were sitting at the low table that had been set up in the base. Across from them sat Satoshi. Naru had immediately accosted the boy when he came home, impatient to interrogate him.

Mai examined Satoshi as he recounted his story of the day he was attacked. Like his mother and sister, he had a serious, but polite manner. However, that's where the similarities ended. It was clear that the boy's father was of foreign descent, but the true difference lay in his temperament. His expression was morose, the corners of his mouth turned down in a slight frown. His light, moss green eyes held a bored expression. His black hair was cropped close to his head.

To Mai, he seemed like a difficult personality. He didn't radiate much emotion. This wasn't something new to Mai, but she couldn't help feeling he was thoroughly robotic. She thought of how frightened he had sounded over the tape. It was a strong contrast to his current mood.

Mai compared Satoshi to the boy she had encountered earlier. They appeared to be within the same age range and both held serious natures. Even so, Mai found Satoshi's cool and distant personality far preferable to the cold malice given off by the apparition.

"Where did you get that book?" Mai heard Naru ask.

"We have an old tea house out in the garden," Satoshi replied calmly. "That's where I found it."

"Alright, that will be all," Naru told him, seemly satisfied with the interview.

"Your English is very good," Mai said suddenly as she thought of the book.

Satoshi briefly glanced at Mai.

"Your opinion is unnecessary," he told her as he stood.

He then calmly turned and exited the room.

"What the hell!" Mai said once he was gone. "That was completely rude!"

Naru shrugged indifferently.

"You can't win them all," he responded. "Although, I'm sure you know his type well."

"Masako's not that bad," Mai replied.

Naru's eyes widened at her unexpected comment. He didn't think she would have understood his comment that well unless she had unintentionally read his thoughts.

"Mai!" he chastised. "Don't do that!"

"What?" she asked, not realizing what she had done.

"You need more training," he replied in an irritated tone. "Your powers are increasing and you lack control. You can't mess around fecklessly in other people's minds."

Mai was startled by his words and stared at him wide-eyed for a moment before frowning and looking down. She hadn't done it intentionally and even though she trained with Lin and Naru, it didn't specifically help with her abilities.

"...Sorry," she mumbled. "I must have been channeling more energy trying to figure out Satoshi-kun."

"And?" Naru asked.

"Nothing," Mai sighed. "He's a robot. I don't think he could be the source of the poltergeist."

"How many times have I told you not to make assumptions," Naru replied scathingly.

"Enough that I should remember by now," Mai admitted sullenly.

"Fine," Naru acknowledged, "go set up the equipment for the autosuggestion."

"Yes, boss," Mai easily consented.

~oOo~

After Naru had finished the suggestion experiment, he had ordered Mai to finish setting up equipment around the house. She set up microphones in every room and a few cameras in places Naru had determined would be best, as well as various other instruments. She adjusted everything as she was told over the headset, but other than this she decided to refrain from conversation. It was more likely that Naru would respond than Lin, and Mai didn't feel like arguing anymore for the day.

By the time she made it back to the base, it was close to midnight. The only occupant in the room was Lin.

"Where's Naru?" Mai asked as she slid shut the door to the base.

"Resting," he replied absently as he continued to type away on the computer.

Mai sighed inwardly. Lin was very serious when it came to work. It wasn't like he would intentionally ignore her, but sometimes he got caught up in all the calculations and data.

'At least he loves what he does,' Mai thought to herself as she walked over to the monitors.

She looked over the images and numbers that appeared on the screens, admiring the work she had contributed in order to make their investigation possible. She put in a lot of hard work and she was exhausted. The first day of an investigation was always tiresome, but it allowed them to gather crucial research data. This was why they were picky about what cases they chose to accept.

Mai was suddenly brought from her thoughts as she felt Lin's hands grip her waist. He gently guided her to sit on his lap, pressing his chest against her back as he wrapped his arms around her. Mai felt him lightly press a kiss to the right side of her neck and she tilted her head to allow him better access. Her breath hitched as he continued his attentions. She was enjoying it immensely, but she knew she should stop him before she lost her willpower.

"Koujo," Mai whispered, "we're not supposed to."

After a final kiss, Lin leaned his forehead against the side of Mai's head. He let out a puff of air, his warm breath making Mai shiver. He was disappointed, but he knew she was right. He turned his head to rest his chin on her shoulder.

"I miss you," Lin told her quietly.

"We've been together all day," Mai replied.

"It's not the same," he countered.

Mai was quiet for a few moments, enjoying Lin's proximity. She knew what he meant. They were both preoccupied by the case and hadn't interacted much outside their work. It wasn't much different from when they were at the office, but here they didn't have the relief of spending their night intimately. It would have to be that way until they solved this case and it was only the first day.

Mai could feel a strong wave of emotion roll off of Lin. It felt tender and sorrowful all at the same time. She wondered what he was thinking about to make him feel that way.

"What's wrong, Koujo," Mai asked gently, "it's not like you to feel so sentimental."

Lin breathed deeply, tightening his hold. He leaned his head to the right to afford himself a better view of Mai's face.

"I'm just glad you married me," he told her.

Lin knew he was a difficult person to love and they still had a long road ahead of them. He admitted that he wasn't always forward about his feelings. Sometimes, he wasn't even sure if he felt anything at all, but the one thing he knew was that he needed Mai in his life.

Things had not always been so easy between them. Their relationship had been somewhat volatile when they first met and on rare occasions, they still had heated arguments.

"I know it took me a while to figure out my feelings for you," Mai said, feeling somewhat sad, "but I do love you."

"I know," Lin said in a subdued voice. "Will you sit beside me for now?"

"Of course," Mai agreed.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, placing a kiss on her cheek before releasing her.


	11. The Child Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

2:59 am, Thursday, October 21st.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

Mai sighed as the clock rolled over to three in the morning. Lin glanced in her direction, wondering if she was alright.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"I'm just wondering what that boy's role is in all of this," Mai answered, feeling frustrated after going over everything in her head. "Did Naru tell you the details of his vision?"

"About the altercation?" Lin inquired.

"Yes," Mai confirmed. "The boy seems malicious. —Do you think he could be the cause of the disturbances?"

"No idea," Lin told her stoically. Upon seeing her dissatisfied expression, he added, "Perhaps Hara-san will be able to enlighten us."

Mai sighed.

"I wish Masako would have come sooner."

Mai couldn't help feeling that the medium's presence would give her some peace of mind. Masako would be able to sense any spirits in the house and determine their intent.

Lin didn't reply to her last statement, and Mai didn't think he would, so she went back to watching the monitors. The house was quiet for the moment and as of yet there hadn't been any activity.

"There must be something I overlooked," Mai thought aloud.

"The temperature," Lin said suddenly.

Mai frowned.

"What?"

"The temperature in the kitchen is decreasing," he restated.

Mai quickly stood up and looked to the video of the kitchen. Red bars had appeared on the monitor's screen, indicating activity on the sound reception.

"The speaker!" she said excitedly.

Lin switched the speaker on. They listened quietly, straining to hear the sound. What they heard was the light pitter-patter of water droplets on a hard surface. They could see the sink on the monitor. Water was coming from the faucet.

"A leaky faucet?" Mai questioned in disappointment. "What a lame ghost."

"It's actually a common paranormal occurrence," Lin replied, keeping his gaze fixed on the screen.

"Hmm…" Mai hummed, still unimpressed.

Lin glanced in her direction.

"It wasn't that long ago when you'd be shivering in fear at such a thing."

"That was before I became a scientist," she replied nonchalantly.

"My wife, the scientist," Lin remarked with a smirk.

"You better believe it," she replied, eyeing him with suspicion.

Their light banter was interrupted as the quiet drip intensified to the sound of rushing water. Lin and Mai quickly turned their attention back to the monitor. The faucet had been turned up to its maximum. Beside the sink, the kitchen knives began to rattle.

"Now that's activity," Mai said, perking up again.

After ghost hunting for so long, she couldn't help feeling excited at the prospect of capturing activity for their research.

From behind them, came the sudden sound of the base door sliding open. Mai quickly turned around, letting out an embarrassing squeal as she jumped in surprise. In the next instant, she placed a hand to her chest, sighing in relief. It was only Naru that stood there in the doorway.

"What's going on?" he questioned, ignoring Mai.

"We're experiencing activity in the kitchen," Lin reported.

"It just started," Mai added while still trying to ease the painful prickles on her skin.

The trio watched the monitors to see what would happen. When they thought nothing more might occur, the dishes in the cabinets began to rattle loudly. The sound over the speaker was jarring.

"Should we do something?" Mai asked.

"No," Naru answered, "don't agitate it. We'll wait for now. —Mai, watch the monitors to make sure Keiko-san and Yuri-san don't enter the kitchen."

"Okay," she complied.

The activity continued for the next ten minutes, gradually decreasing in intensity before stopping altogether. The whole time, Keiko and Yuri never left their bedrooms.

"The Hayashi family never mentioned activity like this," Mai said.

"Repulsion, perhaps," Naru stated. "The poltergeist is aware of our presence."

"That can't be right," Mai answered. "Why weren't Keiko-san and Yuri-san disturbed by the sounds from the kitchen? They were very loud. —I think that was meant only for us."

"I agree, Naru," Lin added.

"You always agree with, Mai," Naru scoffed, slightly irritated at being told he was wrong.

"That's because he's a smart man," Mai replied.

"I think he just wants to get laid," Naru countered.

"I would say both," Lin admitted.

"Regardless," Mai said quickly, attempting not to blush, "my intuition is telling me this is a cry for help."

Naru considered Mai's opinion.

"If we take your dream into account, I would say that's a likely scenario."

"Perhaps the mother wants us to save the boy and she hasn't realized he died," Mai hypothesized.

"Then this case would be as easy as helping the mother move on," Naru stated. "But why go to such extreme lengths to reach out? Why attack someone similar to her own son?"

"That's it!" Mai said suddenly.

"What?" Naru asked.

"The mother's plea," Mai replied excitedly. "In both my dream and Satoshi-kun's attack, the mother begged for her child to be left alone."

"You're right," Naru conceded. "We might be dealing with more than one spirit."

"If you're implying that the mother is persuading the father," Lin spoke up, "then the evidence would point to three spirits, would it not?"

"That might be the case," Naru admitted, "but is the boy Mai saw a spirit or simply a figure in a memory?"

"If only Masako were here," Mai lamented.

"If only Mai could properly sense spirits," Naru replied sardonically.

"I told you already," Mai angrily responded, "I can't do it unless I'm asleep!"

"Then sleep," Naru said calmly.

"When there's valuable information," Mai seethed, narrowing her eyes, "sleep will come."

She wasn't ready to be dismissed yet.

"Sleep over there if you like," Naru replied as he directed his hand to the open space on the tatami mats. "The floor's all a dog needs."

"Naru!" Lin interrupted. "Don't talk to Mai like that."

Naru rolled his eyes.

"Fine."

"I'm serious," Lin growled.

"I said I won't," Naru surrendered, feeling unnerved by the man's sudden ferocity.

When Lin was satisfied with Naru's response, he returned to typing on the computer. Mai gave Naru an amused look, enjoying her small victory.

~oOo~

Later that morning, Yuri left for classes. Keiko followed soon after, expressing that she needed to run errands. When Naru broke the seal on the room where the autosuggestion had taken place, the vase had not moved.

Naru and Mai returned to the base after examining the results of their experiment. It was close to eight in the morning.

Mai yawned.

"Why don't you sleep," Naru gently suggested.

"I want to be awake when Masako gets her," she told him sleepily.

"I'll wake you when she gets her," he assured her.

"Why don't I believe that innocent face?" Mai questioned, feeling certain he was up to something.

Naru smiled wryly.

"It appears the dog's sixth sense has kicked in," he quietly commented so that only Mai could hear.

Mai glanced towards Lin. He was sitting in front of the equipment wearing headphones. Mai tilted her head and smiled sweetly.

"I think you're the one who needs a nap, Naru-chan," she sang, sparkling brightly. "You're very cranky."

Naru scoffed at Mai's words and turned away from her.

"Might as well make me tea if you're playing mother."

"Mori-san would be so disappointed in your manners, Naru-chan," Mai continued in her singsong voice.

Naru quickly glared back at Mai before giving in.

"Please," he said monotonously.

"Okay!" Mai chirped happily.

She turned to exit the room. Just as she slid open the door to the base, the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house.

"Masako!" Mai cheered.

She made her way to the door and quickly opened it, pausing when she saw the two people standing on the doorstep.

"Yay!" Mai exclaimed. "You're together."

"Yes, our love is quite strong," Yasuhara said smoothly.

Masako used the sleeve of her kimono to cover her mouth, a light blush dusting her pale cheeks.

"How dare you imply such a thing," Masako said coldly. "I simply needed a ride and Yasuhara-san knew the way."

"Masako is too cute," Mai smiled.

"She really is cute, isn't she?" Yasuhara laughed. "Don't deny our love, darling."

"Hmph," was Masako's only response.

Mai laughed.

"Yasuhara-san is such a womanizer," she playfully chastised.

"Speaking of which," Yasuhara said slyly, "where's Yuri-chan?"

"Yasuhara-san, you leave Yuri-san alone," Mai ordered. "She's a good girl."

"Where is Naru?" Masako interrupted.

"Always, 'Where is Naru?'," Mai imitated in slight annoyance. "This way, please."

Masako stepped over the threshold. She had barely walked a few steps when she stopped.

"What's wrong?" Mai questioned.

"There is so much fear in this house," Masako said quietly as she shivered.

"Well, wait until we see Naru or he'll throw a fit," Mai instructed.

Masako nodded, following Mai as she showed them to the base. Naru turned towards the sliding door as the three entered.

"Finally," Naru grumbled upon seeing the two accompanying Mai.


	12. The Child Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

8:15 am, Thursday, October 21st.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

"Hara-san, what is the state of the house?" Naru questioned almost immediately upon seeing the medium.

"I can strongly sense the spirit of a woman," Masako replied slowly, slightly shivering. "She did not die in this house, but I believe she once lived here. Her feelings of fear are overpowering."

"Why is she afraid?" Naru asked.

"She's absolutely terrified," Masako corrected, "yet the reason is unclear to me. Her feelings center around her son."

"And the son, do you sense his spirit?" Naru calmly inquired.

"I do not," Masako reported, "but I do sense the spirit of a man. I believe he is roughly in his forties. He was murdered in this house."

Mai inhaled sharply, but before she could comment on the revelation, Yasuhara spoke up.

"That's uncanny," Yasuhara said in amazement.

"What is it?" Naru directed toward the young man.

"Just that, my research has uncovered the same information," Yasuhara told him.

"Just a moment," Naru said as he held up his hand to halt any new information. "Hara-san, what do you sense from the man? What's his reason for remaining here?"

"Well..." Masako paused.

"Or is that unclear to you as well," Naru replied sardonically to her hesitation.

Even after years of not having Gene around, he sorely missed his brother's ability to clearly sense the motivation of spirits.

"Not necessarily," Masako answered as she looked away sulkily. "The man is fearful as well, but his fear is that a secret will be revealed. He is attempting to protect that secret, of which I do not know."

Naru sighed inwardly. It wasn't much to go on. Fearful spirits and an unknown secret. They were hardly any closer to understanding the situation than when they first arrived.

'Didn't Mai tell us about the same before we had even arrived?' Naru wondered.

He was starting to become fed up with Mai's refusal to sleep. He was confident she would reveal something important. Until now, he had been waiting for her to randomly fall asleep like she usually did, but it hadn't happened yet.

The only new information the medium had revealed was discovered by Yasuhara as well.

"—Yasuhara-san, how was your search?" Naru asked as he made his way to the low table.

"Well," Yasuhara began, following Naru to the table, "it required some digging and special connections, but I was able to uncover some interesting information."

"Good," Naru replied before looking to Mai as she sat down. "—Mai, don't forget the tea."

"Fine, fine," Mai grumbled as she got up to go make tea.

Yasuhara watched as she quickly left the room, leaving the door open behind her.

"Is it alright if she goes alone?" Yasuhara asked as he slowly turned back to Naru.

"She'll be fine," Naru answered.

Though he said that, he wondered if it was alright to have such confidence in her. After a few moments, he spoke up again.

"Perhaps not, but either way, Lin will keep watch."

Yasuhara looked uneasily to the man sitting at the computer. Lin didn't give any indication that he was listening to their conversation, but at some point the man had removed his headphones, which now hung around his neck.

"Just relax," Naru said to Yasuhara when he noticed him tense.

Yasuhara looked to Naru doubtfully.

"Lin-san is a scary guy," he freely admitted.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," Naru assured the young man.

He was sure that he and Mai had already dealt with the jealousy issue. It was best if Lin didn't have people on his bad side.

"I heard he was holding a grudge," Yasuhara admitted a little more cautiously than before.

The man in question remained silent. Naru knew he wouldn't offer any explanation one way or another. Still, he wondered how that rumor could have started.

"Who told you that?" Naru asked, feigning indifference.

"Madoka said so," Yasuhara replied.

"Madoka would," Naru sighed, placing a hand to his temple.

"What about Mori-san?" Mai asked as she hurried back in holding a tea tray.

"She's spreading rumors again," Naru said offhandedly.

"With Yasuhara-san?" she asked. "When did you talk to Mori-san?"

"When she came to Japan for your wedding," Yasuhara answered.

He felt at ease now that Mai was back.

"Were you the important business she had to attend to?" Mai asked mischievously.

"A gentleman never tells," Yasuhara replied. "Of which I am not, so you could say—"

"Moving on," Naru interrupted, derailing that line of conversation, "what were you able to discover?"

"About that," Yasuhara said as he removed a binder from his bag, "the incident seems to have received very little publicity and several steps were taken to keep the events quiet."

"Tea?" Mai asked as she handed a cup to Naru.

"Yes, thank you," Yasuhara replied to Mai as Masako shook her head.

"What exactly happened?" Naru asked Yasuhara interrogatively.

"The incident happened in year 52 of the Shōwa era, otherwise known as 1977," Yasuhara began after opening the binder. "At the time, the 47 year old Sasaki Noboru owned this house. He lived here with his 43 year old wife Hanako and their 15 year old son Kiyoshi.

On the night of April 17th, it appears Noboru and Hanako had quarrelled, ending with Hanako stabbing Noboru several times in the abdomen. Or at least, that was what Hanako herself had reported. She had called the authorities shortly after the incident and confessed to murdering her husband. When authorities arrived, they found the body in the kitchen, but the murder weapon was no longer present. Hanako was asked what she had done with the weapon and she said that she had washed it in the sink. When asked why she would wash it, she calmly told them she couldn't stand dirty dishes. The authorities at the scene reported that she appeared completely remorseless as if she hadn't just killed a person.

Hanako was immediately condemned to death by the courts and she offered no protests. Kiyoshi, who had quietly remained in the living room throughout the initial investigation was sent to a local orphanage. Six months after the incident, Kiyoshi mysteriously disappeared and has never been seen since. It's presumed that he simply ran away."

"Why was so much effort put forth to hide the incident?" Naru questioned.

"It seems that Sasaki Noboru was an elite bureaucrat of some importance at the time," Yasuhara reported. "He was well liked by most and the authorities wanted to avoid a major scandal. I asked around and the public view of the family was what could be called picture perfect."

"If it's as simple an affair as that," Mai said from her place next to Lin, "then it really should be a simple matter of purification."

"It's obviously not as simple a matter as that," Naru replied in annoyance. "Something more substantial might come to light if you'd just go to sleep."

"But Masako and Yasuhara-san just got here," Mai protested.

With that comment, Naru was finally fed up.

"Lin! Take Mai to bed, _now_!" he ordered.

Lin immediately stood, leaving his work half finished. After over 27 hours, he was ready to sleep and eager to be close to Mai. He easily lifted her into his arms and began to quickly walk towards the door.

"Hey!" Mai protested.

"And make sure she sleeps," Naru added.

Lin simply nodded as he exited the room.

~oOo~

"You really have no tact sometimes," Mai pouted as Lin carried her over his shoulder.

"It's effective," Lin replied brusquely.

Mai sighed, letting her arms dangle freely. She could feel the blood pooling in her face as she contemplated Lin's behavior. She often wondered how her gentle and quiet husband could easily adopt brutality to gain efficiency. He was a cunning man of many faces. She sighed again. She desperately loved him and all his depth.

They quickly reached the bedroom and once inside, Lin gently set Mai down on one of the futons. He then went to their luggage, rummaging through their belongs until he pulled out Mai's sleepwear. He tossed it at her then quickly removed his necktie and unbuttoned his dress shirt.

Mai, on the other hand, grumbled as she took her time changing. When she was done, she went to lie down on the futon next to Lin. She rolled onto her side, facing away from him as she continued to pout. After a moment, she felt Lin inch closer and wrap his arm around her waist. Even so, she remained tense.

"Are you mad?" Lin softly questioned.

Mai held out for several moments until Lin pulled her closer to him.

"Mai," he whispered.

"No," she finally admitted in defeat.

"Then relax," he told her.

She let out a deep breath, then rolled over to face Lin. Once she was settled down, he raised his hand to softly trail his fingers up and down her arm in a soothing manner.

"If you don't stop that," Mai informed him, growing slightly aroused, "I won't be able to sleep."

"Maybe I had other plans," Lin said in a husky voice.

Mai sat up then and pushed Lin onto his back before straddling him. She pinned his hands above his head as she leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Lin-san," she softly cooed, "you're being such a bad boy."

Lin smirked up at her as she leaned back.

"I only want to please you," he said coyly.

"And what of your master's orders?" Mai teased.

"You're my only master," Lin told her.

He squirmed slightly against her. He loved the feel of her body on top of him, but he wanted to free his arms.

"Let me touch you," he requested.

"You know we're not supposed to," Mai admonished.

Lin let out a soft growl before easily flipping Mai onto her back and repositioning himself between her legs. He pinned her hands for good measure.

"You drive me out of my senses," he murmured as he gently thrusted his hips against her.

Mai smiled at his eagerness.

"Are you going to tie me up again if I don't play?" she asked with amusement.

"I'll save that for when we get home," Lin answered.

He attempted to hold in his laughter, but he couldn't help smiling down at her.

"Naru will be upset if you use his necktie again," Mai responded.

She bit her lip to prevent herself from giggling.

"I'm sure it was the best psychometry he ever had," he responded with mirth.

That last line was the breaking point for Mai. She burst out laughing at the memory of it all. Lin soon joined her, flopping onto his back to lie beside her. They continued to laugh hysterically for several minutes.

After they had sobered, Mai broached the topic in a serious tone.

"He never did say whether he synced with you or me."

Lin threw his arm over his eyes in embarrassment.

"He might have mentioned it," he mumbled.

"He didn't!" Mai said in disbelief, instantly understanding Lin's embarrassment.

Lin nodded his head quickly.

"What a lucky guy," Mai deadpanned.

The two began to laugh uncontrollably again. But this time, when they finally sobered, their minds turned to more serious matters.

Lin rolled to his side, propping his head with his right hand. He stared at Mai in contemplation. He wanted to say the right thing to comfort her and ease her worries, but he wasn't sure what would be best.

"I know why you don't want to sleep," he said softly into the darkened room.

Mai sighed deeply.

"There's no way around it though," she answered.

"It'll be easier once you know why you're afraid," Lin tried to reassure her.

"That's true," Mai agreed. "Plus, Naru will stop acting so petulant."

"That might be a stretch," Lin admitted as he settled onto his back. He pulled Mai to rest against him. "He still has too much pride to be anything less than difficult."

Mai lightly laughed.

"You're right," she said as she yawned.

She settled closer into Lin's side, nestling her head against his chest.

"I'll keep you safe," Lin promised.

"Thank you," Mai mumbled as she fell asleep.


	13. The Child Chapter 9

**A/N:** This chapter is slightly mature.

 **Warnings:** Blood and slight(?) adult situations.

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

6:58 pm, Sunday, April 17th, 1977.

Location: Undetermined Plane of Existence.

Mai was walking down the main hall of the Hayashi residence. She wasn't sure how she had gotten there. She thought she had been with Lin a moment before.

Mai was suddenly alert.

'This must be a dream,' she thought.

Mai was overly concerned as she continued down the darkened hall.

'Where are they?' she thought anxiously.

Mai suddenly heard shouting from the direction of the kitchen. She couldn't make out the words, but the incoherent sounds terrified her. She slowly made her way towards the kitchen, using all her strength of will just to move her legs. Mai didn't know what she would find.

As the kitchen came into view, Mai stopped in her tracks. On the floor was the body of Noboru. His shirt was bloodied and a kitchen knife stuck out from his belly. He was unmoving. Over him stood a shocked Kiyoshi, drenched in the blood of his father.

"Noboru..." Mai choked out.

Mai realized it wasn't her voice that lamented. Up until this point, Mai hadn't noticed that she had synced with a spirit. She thought perhaps it might be Hanako.

Mai stood frozen on the spot. Her mouth hung open, the scream she desperately wanted to release trapped in her throat. She clutched her chest.

'This cannot be,' she despaired.

Even though Mai knew these thoughts were not her own, she couldn't help experiencing the pain Hanako felt at losing the man she loved. Mai knew Hanako loved Noboru. She felt the woman's desperate hope that her husband was still alive.

Mai moved mechanically towards Noboru's body. When she was next to him, her legs collapsed from beneath her. There was so much blood; too much blood. She grabbed Noboru's bloody hand, bringing it to her face. It was chilled against her warm skin. She couldn't feel the pulse at his wrist.

Before she could break down, she crawled over to check the pulse point at Noboru's neck. There was nothing. Noboru was dead.

Mai cradled her head in her hands, staring wide-eyed at her knees as she leaned over. She wanted to cry, scream, voice everything she felt inside, but she could not. Instead, she looked up at Kiyoshi, who stared down at her, wide-eyed and silent.

"Mother..." Kiyoshi said slowly.

She ignored him, rising to her feet. She walked to where the knife was implanted into Noboru. Steadying herself, she pulled the knife from his body.

"Mother!" Kiyoshi said, shocked. He looked unsure of what she might do.

She turned away from Kiyoshi, walking towards the sink. She turned on the faucet and began to wash the blood from the knife, her mind numb. She turned off the faucet, then dried the knife. After she had dried off the knife, she placed it back where it belonged.

She turned then, looking back to Kiyoshi, who stood watching her silently.

"Give me your clothes," she said, resolute.

"What?!" Kiyoshi exclaimed.

"Give me your clothes," she said coldly, her voice even. "Then go wash yourself in the bath."

He did as he was told and handed her his clothes, then left the kitchen.

She filled the sink with cold water and soap, then placed Kiyoshi's clothes into the frigid water. The blood seeped from his clothes, clouding the clear water red.

As she stared down at the sink of blood, attempting not to look at Noboru, Mai felt herself begin to softly weep. She would never again see him alive.

~oOo~

Lin watched Mai as she slept in his arms. She had been sleeping for several minutes now and her expression looked strained. He didn't want to let her continue to sleep in a dream that taxed her so much emotionally. Even so, he knew both Mai and Naru would scold him if he woke her up too soon. He could only hope that the dream would end quickly.

Lin heard what sounded like a soft hiccup. He looked down at Mai, frowning, to see that she was softly crying, tears rolling down her face. Unable to let her continue in her dream, Lin sat up, gently resting Mai on her back.

"Mai," Lin whispered as he cupped her face.

Mai briefly frowned before quickly opening her eyes. When she saw Lin, she instantly sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Koujo," she cried, her voice pitiful and weak.

Lin wrapped his arms around Mai as she continued to cry into the crook of his neck.

"Shh," he soothed, rubbing her back. "It's okay, Mai, I'm here."

Mai let out a few more gentle sobs before settling down.

"Are you alright now?" Lin asked.

Mai lightly nodded, still hiding her face against his neck.

Hating that he couldn't see her face, Lin untangled Mai's arms from his neck, bringing her hands to rest in his.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he questioned, as he brushed the hair from her face.

Mai shook her head in negation. Now that she was here with her husband, Mai didn't want to relive the pain of her dream. She simply wanted to enjoy his presence.

"Lie back," Lin gently instructed.

Mai did as she was told. Soon after, Lin eased himself down to rest atop her, encased between her legs. He brought his hands up to cup her face, lightly caressing her with his thumbs.

Lin let his good eye roam over her face, wishing he could properly look at her with both eyes. She was visibly shaken and wore a sorrowful expression.

Not being a medium himself, Lin would never know the burden of an ESPer, and Mai had the full spectrum of ESP abilities. He didn't know how to ease her burden, but he wanted to comfort her somehow.

"I'm sorry," Lin whispered.

Mai's expression relaxed as she warmly gazed up at Lin. She smiled slightly.

"It's not your fault," Mai told him.

He acknowledged her words, but remained quiet. He looked at her for several moments before leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead, then one on the tip of her nose. He continued to gently kiss Mai's face everywhere, except her mouth.

When he felt he had thoroughly kissed all of her face, excluding her lips, Lin leaned his forehead against Mai's. He closed his eyes, enjoying her proximity.

Mai sighed contentedly, closing her eyes. An ease washed over her mind at Lin's nearness. She wondered at the feelings that could be evoked at the simple touch of foreheads.

Mai softly nudged her head against Lin's, before happily rubbing her nose against his. Lin smiled at Mai's actions, readily mimicking her.

After their brief exchange of affection, Lin raised his head to view Mai's face. He desperately wanted to kiss her, but he wasn't sure if she would allow it. He looked at her searchingly, hoping she would understand his question.

Mai knew what Lin wanted and she wanted the same. She decided she didn't give a damn if they were on a case. She reached up to card her fingers through Lin's hair, gently bringing his face closer to hers.

Lin let himself be easily led until their mouths were mere centimeters apart. He let his lips hover over hers for a moment before he closed the distance. Her soft lips were warm and pliant, and Lin was thankful Mai had finally allowed this.

Mai shared Lin's sentiments as she felt herself melt into the kiss. She felt a surge of warmth fill her.

As the kiss grew more heated, Lin occasionally broke away to allow them to breathe, gently nudging his head against Mai's before continuing to kiss her.

The kiss was sending wild tremors throughout the pair's bodies. Spurred on by the release of adrenaline, Mai gently nipped at Lin's bottom lip, causing him to groan low in his throat.

Mai thought she would be glad if the kiss never ended as she took in the scent that she thought of as uniquely Lin.

Lin, on the other hand, knew that if he didn't stop soon, he wouldn't be able to. Considering this, Lin reluctantly pulled back, once again resting his forehead against Mai's. He breathed out a hot, shaky breath, trying to calm himself.

"Please… don't stop," Mai begged.

Mai's plea was all he needed to hear. In the next instant, Lin quickly grabbed Mai's hands. He entwined his fingers with hers as he brought their hands to rest above their heads. He kissed her deeply, his mouth pressed hard against her own. His lips moved against hers, parting them urgently.

Mai gently moaned against him and Lin briefly broke away, watching her as she stared at him in a daze, her pupils dilated. He felt his chest swell with warmth as he looked down at her.

"I won't ever stop," Lin said deeply before resuming his task.

* * *

 **Another Author's Note:** Still trying to figure out what everyone likes and wants out of this story. If you have any thoughts, let me know. Your opinions definitely affect my writing and I'm mostly writing this to please LinxMai fans (myself included).


	14. The Child Chapter 10

**A/N:** I've been neglectful. I'm sorry.

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

8:47 am, Thursday, October 21st.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

"So..." Yasuhara said, punctuating the silence that remained after the door slid shut, "they seem like a happy couple."

Yasuhara and Masako had watched with fascination as Lin hefted Mai over his shoulder and carried her out of the base. Naru, on the other hand, had viewed the scene with indifference. He was already used to that kind of behavior.

"I guess you could say that," Naru quietly remarked.

"Lin-san seems somewhat barbaric," Masako complained, putting on airs as usual. "I find it hard to believe he's Mai's type."

Naru glanced at Masako for a moment.

"Mai's somewhat primitive herself," he shrugged.

Yasuhara made a noise of disapproval. "I thought they were your friends."

Naru and Masako frowned in unison, causing Yasuhara to laugh.

"You two are too serious," Yasuhara smiled.

Masako huffed in annoyance.

"Why do you always play the fool?" she scolded.

"Well—" Yasuhara started before being cut off by the sound of laughter.

Naru sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Everytime..." he mumbled.

"Are they okay?" Yasuhara asked.

Naru sighed again, shaking his head.

"Just ignore them," he muttered.

"I take it this is a normal occurrence?" Yasuhara questioned with interest.

"Mostly when they're sleep deprived and alone," Naru grimaced, fidgeting with his necktie.

"Hmm…" Yasuhara hummed thoughtfully. "Mai really seems to have an affect on Lin-san, doesn't she?"

"That's an understatement," Naru sighed irritably.

"Well then, what's the plan, boss?" Yasuhara asked, changing the subject.

"Yasuhara-san," Naru responded, "please watch the base. I'd like Hara-san to accompany me to the garden. I believe there's something to be learned there."

"Yes, sir," Yasuhara complied, bowing lightly.

Naru walked to the door before turning back. There was one important fact he had neglected.

"Yasuhara-san," Naru called behind him.

"Yes?" Yasuhara inquired.

"Ignore anything you hear from next door," he instructed.

"I can't make any promises," Yasuhara grinned.

~oOo~

Naru and Masako made their way to the back of the house. There was a well maintained garden. Farther back on the property, they could make out a medium sized building close to the edge of the woods. It didn't appear as well maintained as the rest of the property.

"That should be it," Naru commented as he found the path leading back.

Masako nodded, clinging to his arm.

Naru sighed inwardly at her behavior. She still did this years after his secret had been revealed and regardless of his lack of interest. She just didn't understand, he was only interested in research. Even still, he kept quiet on the subject, allowing her a small bit of joy.

As they approached the old tea house, they came to a set of stairs.

"Watch your step," Naru idly remarked.

Masako clung harder to his arm as they ascended the steps. When they reached the top, Masako suddenly stopped, her eyes widening in shock.

"What do you sense?" he asked.

"There are the spirits of numerous animals," she whispered. "They're scared and confused. They're trapped. It's dark, so very dark."

"Where are they?" Naru asked urgently.

Masako pointed to an area in the floor of the tea house. In the floor panels there appeared to be a trapdoor with a metal ring attached to it.

Naru slowly approached the door, leaning down to lift the metal ring. It resisted for a moment as it stuck to the wood, but eventually came free. He gave a hard tug, but it didn't budge. He tugged on it again, leaning back as he did so. It lifted slightly. He repeated the process, falling back inelegantly as it fully opened. A musty earthen smell rose from the opening quickly followed by the strong stench of decay.

Naru quickly hid his nose in the crook of his arm. He glanced up to Masako, who had brought the sleeve of her kimono up to her face. She nodded to him in confirmation.

Looking back to the opening, Naru slowly approached. Inside was an impossible number of small bones piled in a dark muck.

"This is their grave," Naru stated.

"That's awful," Masako mumbled from behind her sleeve. "Who could have done this?"

"I don't know," Naru confided. He wondered if he might be able to perform psychometry on some of the bones.

Naru looked around the tea house for something to fish the bones out of the muck. There were old cushions scattered about, but nothing immediately jumped out as being particularly useful. He consider using his bare hands, but the thought was somewhat sickening and he didn't carry such things as handkerchiefs. Figuring his necktie would have to do, Naru began loosening it.

"Naru," Masako said in alarm, "what are you doing?"

"I'm going to attempt psychometry on the bones," he replied as he finally freed himself from his necktie.

Remembering something, Naru quickly looked down at the tie in his hand. He didn't often hold sentimental attachments for these kinds of things, but this just so happened to be his favorite necktie. He contemplated which would be worse, losing his favorite tie or getting that muck on his hands.

Making a tough decision, Naru stuffed the tie in his pocket before leaning down before the trap door.

"You're going to put your hand in that stuff?" Masako asked in disgust.

"It can't be helped," Naru replied as he reached into the hole.

He tried his best to grab the least grimy bone and pulled it up. There was a loud slurping noise caused by the suctioning of the muck around it. Naru had seen some awful things, his brother's half decomposed corpse being one of them, but this was beyond all that. It was difficult to keep himself from vomiting.

When he finally freed the bone, he went to sit on one of the cushions left in the old building. He placed the bone on the floor in front of him.

"Masako-san," Naru called, intentionally using her given name, "you have to promise me something."

"What is it, Naru?" Masako asked, suddenly enamoured.

"I can't be sure how this will affect me," he told her, "but please promise you won't tell Lin or Mai. They tend to worry too much."

"I promise," Masako vowed solemnly.

"Thank you," he said gratefully.

Turning his attention back to the bone, he placed his hand against it, focusing his consciousness into his fingertips. The bone was of a small animal, so there was no need to exert himself. Just like a child, animals were usually quite easy to synchronize with.

Naru was suddenly greeted with the sensation of rapidly falling, his stomach jumping as he crashed into a deep hole. There was no time to breathe as his mind was pulled farther in. Without Mai, it was impossible to stop himself from falling.

He was running through the woods, wounded and afraid. Behind him was the sound of rustling leaves as someone chased him. He needed to get away.

Run faster.

Escape.

He was heavily knocked to the ground. Turning to look up at his pursuer, he could see the dark features of _that boy_. The boy who watched him. Always watched him. He should have stayed away.

The boy held something in his hands, lifting it with a furious expression.

Cut the link. He needed to cut the link!

" _Naru..._ "

Naru opened his eyes, sensing the rough wooden planks below his cheek. He blinked blearily, unable to clearly see anything in front of him. He had a pounding headache. He could see Masako's outline kneeling in front of him.

"Naru..." came Masako's terrified voice.

"...I'm fine," Naru choked out, his voice hoarse.

"No, Naru," she tried again, her voice trembling, "there's something in the woods… something evil."


	15. The Child Chapter 11

**A/N:** Were you expecting this?

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

9:35 am, Thursday, October 21st.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

There was something evil in the woods… He should have known. All the little things Mai had said about the woods. How she worried about Lin entering on his own. Lin's immediate reassurance that he didn't venture far. These little off-handed comments that none of them seemed to notice. Why hadn't he noticed?

And then there was the vision. The boy dragged away into the woods. Was there some evil spirit that had affected the family?

"Masako-san," Naru said as he slowly regained the use of his body, "is it safe here?"

"Yes, for now I believe," she replied.

"Can you cleanse the spirits of the animals?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe they are willing," Masako confirmed.

"Then please do so," he requested. "I'd like to return to the house."

"Yes," she replied before setting to work.

As she worked to cleanse the spirits, Naru gradually tested the strength of his limbs. He lifted his arms. They felt heavy as though he was submerged in water. He quickly pushed the thought from his mind. He next tried his legs. They stiffly extended, his bones popping as he went. Slowly, and with much effort, Naru was able to stand.

"It's done," Masako told Naru as she went to help him up.

"Alright, let's return to base," Naru said, his voice even now.

~oOo~

As they entered the base, Yasuhara immediately greeted them.

"Ah, back already?"

"Yes," Naru replied, slightly leaning on Masako for support. "Did anything happen?"

"Well..." Yasuhara hesitated. "There was some moaning. I thought it might be a ghost, but then I heard Mai's voice."

"I thought I told you to ignore it," Naru said with a frown.

"Well, I did try," Yasuhara defended. "I even put on the headphones, but they're quite loud. I was wondering if they'd finish before someone came home."

"But they're done now?"

"Just barely." Yasuhara remarked. "And you sleep through that?"

"Mostly," Naru admitted. "They've gotten louder lately."

"Can we please not discuss this," Masako interrupted, her face a deep crimson.

"Alright," Yasuhara conceded, "did you discover anything?"

"Yes," Naru confirmed, "but I'd like to keep that to myself for now. —Yasuhara-san, please investigate the orphanage. Find any records of Kiyoshi's time there. But stay away from the woods. It isn't safe."

"Will do, boss," Yasuhara chirped.

He made his way to the door, bowing as he left. The remaining occupants passed the time quietly.

~oOo~

" _Mai..._ " called a dim voice from the darkness.

Mai knew the voice. She heard it everyday — to the point that it sometimes drove her crazy. But she knew it wasn't Naru. It contained those same elements that Naru's voice possessed, but it still held that hint of adolescence that Naru's had long since lost. She knew it was him.

 _Gene_.

"Why are you hiding?" Mai asked.

"It's better that way," he told her sadly, refusing to appear before her.

"Then why are you here now?" she asked without spite.

"I needed to warn you," he said seriously. "There's a hidden malice surrounding this house."

"I know," Mai told him. "Is it the boy?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

Gene paused for a moment.

"But Mai," he continued gravely, "there is no hope of cleansing his spirit. He must be destroyed."

"He's beyond salvation?" Mai asked sadly.

"Yes," Gene told her. "His father's spirit sealed him away somewhere in the woods. He's trapped there for the moment, but he's growing stronger, corrupting the spirits of his parents. You must find his body."

"We've tried, Gene," Mai told him. "Even with Naru's psychometry, we were unable to determine his location. The vision was vague. Can't you find him?"

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "it's unclear to me. You must discover it on your own."

"But how will we find him?" Mai questioned earnestly.

"You'll find a way," he told her. "You should rely on each other."

Mai grew quiet. She knew there was no more information that Gene could give her. His knowledge of events was at times limited. But there was one more question she wanted to ask before the chance was gone.

"Where have you been?" she asked him sadly.

"Sleeping," he murmured.

His voice still held that distant quality. He seemed on the verge of falling asleep once more.

"But why did you disappear?" Mai tried again. She needed to know why he left them.

"Because my presence would have only complicated things," he told her cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Mai questioned earnestly.

"You moved on," he clarified, "you both did."

"Both of us?" she asked, unsure if he meant Naru.

"You and my brother," Gene stated. "Lin became what I never could be. He was what you needed."

Mai wasn't sure what to say. She understood his pain, but she wasn't going to apologize for falling in love with Lin. That was something she would never apologize for.

"I know," Gene admitted, "it was inevitable. I don't expect you to apologize."

"I wouldn't be able to," she confessed.

"He really is a force to be reckoned with," Gene laughed, his voice full of nostalgia. "I should have known from that first time… But I wonder if I'm more upset that he stole my brother or that he made you fall in love with him. The fact that he did both..."

Mai sighed. Gene's life had been tragic, but the way his spirit was bound in death was cruel.

"Gene," Mai tried to reason, "you shouldn't hold on to those feelings. They're keeping you tethered to the earth."

"I know," Gene said softly into the darkness. "But I'm still afraid of losing him."

He didn't have to say who.

"Naru misses you, too," Mai told him sadly.

Gene didn't reply and the sudden silence made Mai wonder if he had left.

"Gene?"

"...I should go now," he finally said. "Tell my little brother not to be so reckless. And to stay close."

Mai frowned at his statement before letting it pass. She would most likely find out later.

"Will I ever see you again?" Mai wondered.

"Perhaps," he answered quietly.

Mai slowly felt his presence begin to fade until she was left alone in the darkness. Closing her eyes, she let her own consciousness fade away.


	16. The Child Chapter 12

**A/N:** There's some stuff here about Lin and Mai's relationship involving Gene. If this is confusing, please read the prequel to it's prequel titled _Awkward C_ _onfessions._ If it still doesn't make sense then... I don't know... I'm just a normal person with limited abilities lol

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

6:15 pm, Thursday, October 21st.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

Mai slowly gained consciousness, feeling content as she laid cradled in Lin's warm embrace. He lightly shifted behind her, hugging her tighter to his chest. She sighed, rolling over in his arms. She loved the way he looked so relaxed when he slept. As she watched him, his eyes slowly blinked open.

"Good morning," he greeted with a soft smile.

She smiled weakly, remembering her discussion with Gene. She needed to tell Lin, but she wasn't sure how he would take it. There were a lot of mixed emotions surrounding the topic of Gene.

"What's wrong?" Lin asked with concern.

Mai bit her lip worriedly.

"Koujo..." she said hesitantly, "Gene came back."

His face fell as he stared at her blankly. He slowly sat up in a state of shock. Turning away from her, he brought his hands up to cradle his head. He had taken it in the worst way possible.

"Koujo, please look at me," Mai pleaded as she sat up herself.

"No, Mai," he said, his voice uneven. "I can't do this. I can't—"

"Koujo!" Mai cried as she embraced him from behind. "It's not like that!"

"But you said—"

Mai quickly interrupted him.

"I know what I said, Koujo," she despaired. "I was grieving and confused. The things I said back then were unfair to you. I didn't realize what we had."

"I can't lose you," Lin confessed. "I can't go through that torture again."

"You're not going to lose me," Mai tried to reassure. She knew what she had unthinkingly put him through. "You're the only one. I told you I moved on. And it wasn't just because he left."

Mai watched as he unsteadily ran his hands through his hair, slowly clenching his fingers. He exhaled deeply, his body shaking. He acted as if he was losing his sanity.

"Please, Koujo," Mai begged, "just trust me."

He turned to her then, hair disheveled and eyes slightly red. He looked pained and on the verge of tears.

"Will you trust me?" Mai asked.

He nodded several times before embracing her tightly. She cradled him in her arms, lightly petting his hair.

"I love you," she whispered.

He hugged her tighter.

~oOo~

Naru looked up as the door slid open. Mai entered the base, tugging Lin behind her. He seemed fairly subdued.

"What happened?" Mai asked as Lin shut the door behind them.

"Huh?" Naru said, caught off guard.

Masako looked away guiltily, hiding her mouth behind her kimono sleeve.

'Great,' Naru thought as he glanced at Masako, 'some help she is. She's too guilty.'

"What did you do?" Mai asked sternly, crossing her arms in front of her.

He looked to Lin who simply glared at him. Naru was honestly terrified. He felt like a child whose parents just discovered his crimes. And he had no idea how they had found out.

"It wasn't anything serious," he confessed. "Just psychometry."

"And how do you feel?" Mai asked, unamused.

"Like hell," Naru admitted.

"Are you an idiot?" Mai seethed. "Do you know the kind of damage you're causing to your body?"

"I'm aware," Naru grumbled. "I'm the one that experiences it."

Mai huffed in annoyance.

"How could you be so reckless?" she said angrily. "This place is dangerous! What would have happened if you had been unable to cut the line? We haven't looked after you for years to have you suddenly go and die on us!"

"I was fine," Naru argued. "Masako was there."

"And I'm sure you conned her into keeping your secret," Mai commented.

"Of course I did," he confessed.

"Naru," Lin said in a low voice.

Naru raised his hands lightly in surrender. Mai's ire was one thing, but he really didn't want Lin to get involved in the argument.

"I'm alright," he pointed out, "so can't you just let it slide."

"Naru..." Mai sighed. "We just worry about you."

"I know," he acknowledged. "But we have work to do. Did you discover anything?"

"Yes," Mai confirmed. "A few things."

"Such as?" Naru asked.

"Well," Mai began, "for one thing, it seems Kiyoshi was the one who killed Noboru while Hanako covered it up."

"Really?" Naru asked in surprise.

"Yes," Mai answered. "Hanako was devastated over Noboru's death, but she still wanted to protect her son. For some reason, she felt he needed a second chance."

"I see," Naru responded. "Though it seems it wasn't his first murder."

"What?" Mai blurted. "He killed someone else."

"Animals mostly," Naru clarified. "Small rodents, domesticated pets, those sorts of things. —But Hara-san said she senses something evil in the woods."

"About that," Mai said, "it seems that Kiyoshi was sealed in the woods by his father's spirit. I think the evil presence is Kiyoshi himself."

"Another dream?" Naru asked.

"Not exactly," she confessed. "Gene told me."

Naru looked at Mai in shock. He then glanced to Lin.

"I'm fine," Lin said expressionlessly.

Even though he said this, Naru saw Mai reach out to grab Lin's hand, giving it a light squeeze. Lin returned the gesture, nodding as he did so.

"Don't worry about Lin," Mai told Naru. "Gene came back because he was worried about you and your reckless behavior."

"He's the one who told?!" Naru burst out. "I can't believe him!"

"Don't blame your brother," Mai chastised. "He was only looking out for you."

"Whatever," Naru said petulantly. "Did he at least have any useful information this time?"

"It seems Kiyoshi's spirit is beyond salvation. We'll have to exorcise him," Mai informed him, "but Gene doesn't know where the body is located."

"Always the most important information," Naru sighed. "And the date of his death is unclear as well, so that means Lin can't exorcise him."

"We'll have to wait until John, Ayako and Bou-san arrive tomorrow," Mai commented.

"Perhaps I can perform a séance and summon Noboru's spirit," Masako added.

"I don't think that's safe given his violence," Naru told her.

"That's right!" Mai said suddenly. "Gene said that Kiyoshi's spirit is getting stronger and corrupting his parent's spirits."

"All the more reason for us to end this soon," Naru mumbled, tapping his chin in thought. "Perhaps Lin can summon Noboru's spirit instead."

Masako pouted at Naru's words.

"It's better that he doesn't possess anyone," Naru continued. "—Lin, can you do it?"

"Yes," Lin nodded.

"Well then," Naru concluded, "that will be our next course of action."


	17. The Child Chapter 13

**A/N:** Well... kind of locked myself into a summoning last chapter. But this was my intention from the start so it's okay. Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, faving, following. Sometimes I will get the courage to reply to a review, but I'm always afraid because I tend to vomit words at people... But just know the desire to thank you personally is there. One more thing, I put up a detailed timeline of this story universe on my profile. Please check it out if you're interested. I hope you're all still enjoying this.

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

8:00 pm, Thursday, October 21st.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

Naru had requested the use of one of the rooms for the purpose of the summoning. Currently, the three main SPR members were cleaning the room while Masako watched the base.

"You look surprisingly relaxed, Naru," Mai observed as she scattered the salt.

Naru quirked an eyebrow, giving Mai a wryly smile.

"So do you," he quipped.

Mai lightly blushed.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

Naru released an amused puff of air through his nose.

"You can't hide anything, Mai," Naru informed her with a smirk. "I thought I told you two no physical intimacy."

Mai was horrified. "But how—"

Naru rolled his eyes before quickly chastising the pair. "You two have gotten really loud recently. —It was different before, you know."

"You could hear?" Mai asked miserably. She hadn't realized the extent of the noise.

"Yasuhara-san could," Naru corrected.

Mai gasped, feeling ill. "What if he tells Mori-san?"

The three quickly looked between one another, silently terrified.

"She'll be pissed..." Naru replied. He hadn't taken that into consideration "—But maybe he won't."

Mai and Lin looked at Naru doubtfully. They all knew Yasuhara was a gossip.

"I'll talk to him," Naru reassured, before hardening his tone. "Anyway, why couldn't you just wait?"

Mai's expression became woeful. The dream had been almost unbearable for her and the relief of realizing she still had Koujo was overwhelming. She needed him more than anything in that moment.

"I was still emotional from syncing with Hanako," Mai admitted sadly. "In my mind, I had just lost my husband..."

Naru's eyes briefly darkened, but whatever emotion had been there suddenly disappeared as he gently blinked.

"But that doesn't explain Lin," Naru said, glancing at him with disappointment.

"I can't refuse her," Lin confessed guiltily.

"Try harder next time," Naru replied coolly.

"Yes," Lin nodded obediently. He was silently ashamed at his lack of self-control. There were other ways to comfort her.

The three were quiet as they continued cleaning.

"Naru, the cleaning is done," Lin finally informed him. "—Please help Mai set up the equipment while I prepare."

"Fine," Naru agreed.

Lin departed, leaving the two alone.

"Grab the camera while I set up the tripod," Naru instructed.

Mai silently did as she was told, still feeling guilty. She picked up the night vision camera and brought it over to Naru.

"I'm sorry," Mai said quietly.

"Just be more mindful of the noise," Naru mumbled. He kept his eyes fixed down as he adjusted the camera. "Bring me the chase camera."

"Yes, Naru," she replied obediently.

The two fell into silence again. Lin shortly returned carrying a light yellow bundle. He set the bundle on the table and, after unwrapping it, removed the familiar whitewood chest. Mai knew it would contain several boxes. She watched as he removed the contents of each box and gently arranged them on the table.

Opening a sealed whitewood box, a tea-leaf like scent momentarily overflowed from within. Lin used its contents to prepare the first incense pot. He then lit it. Mai closed her eyes as the the air was filled with a familiar yet indescribable scent. She could hear Lin as he quietly ground the ink he would use. Slowly opening her eyes, Mai watched as Lin used the ink to write Noboru's name, birth date, and date of death. After he completed this, he set a faded, black covered book on the table.

"Will that work?" Naru quietly asked.

"I believe so," Lin replied. "It appears to have been a gift from Noboru to Kiyoshi."

After speaking to Naru, Lin placed a protection seal on top of the book.

"I'm going to start," Lin informed Naru.

Saying this, Lin lit the stick incense and placed it in the second incense pot. He lit the two candles sitting on the table, then nodded to Naru, who turned out the lights. As the glow of the candles illuminated the room, Lin knelt in front of the table, sitting in seiza-style.

As he placed a long, golden colored sword across his knees, he opened his mouth, letting a gentle sound escape. It was a sound Mai found beautiful and deeply moving. As Lin continued, he produced a variety of sounds, each of which he slowly enunciated. Though Lin referred to it as simply whistling, to Mai it was a beautiful, lamenting song that enthralled her each and every time she heard it. There was no other sound in the world that compared.

Mai quickly opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them, as Lin stopped the sound. On the opposite side of the table a dark shadow had appeared. As the shadow darkened, it revealed the shape of a man. Slowly, the color began to seep from the shadow until finally Noboru's translucent form became visible. He was staring distantly at the floor.

"You are Noboru-san, right?" Naru asked.

The spirit slowly gazed up to Naru. He blinked slowly several times as if trying to wake from a deep slumber.

"I am," came a deep, wispy voice. The sound seemed to mingle with the smoke from the incense.

"Do you know you are already dead?" Naru continued.

"Yes," Noboru slowly replied, his eyes focusing.

"And do you know you were murdered by Kiyoshi-kun?" Naru questioned.

At the mention of Kiyoshi's name, Noboru's expression hardened.

"YES," he boomed.

"And you returned the favor," Naru calmly replied. "Where have you sealed his body?"

Noboru didn't answer. Instead, his gaze shifted to Lin. The spirit's face instantly became furious, his eyes fiery. Suddenly, the candles flickered as a cold breeze chilled the room, causing a momentary darkness.

"Lin!" Naru yelled. "Send him away, quickly."

A bewildered Lin swiftly dismissed Noboru's spirit. The room grew deathly quiet.

"...What happened?" Mai questioned worriedly.

"I don't know," Lin admitted, baffled at his loss of control. "He shouldn't have been able to do that."

"It seems he became angry when he saw Lin," Naru observed as he rubbed his chin in thought.

The three sat in silence for a moment. Mai pondered the situation.

"Naru," Mai asked hesitantly, "how old would Kiyoshi be if he was still alive?"

"Thirty-one," Naru instantly supplied. After a moment his eyes widened in shock. "—You don't think…."

Naru turned his head to look at Lin appraisingly.

"What?" Lin asked, frowning.

"You share a strange amount of similarities with Kiyoshi," Naru commented.

"I don't see it," Lin disagreed, annoyed at the suggestion. He didn't want any lingering associations after this case was over.

"Even so," Naru said, "others have seen it."

Lin sighed irritably. "This case is troublesome."

"I agree," Naru murmured.

"Well," Mai said with a sigh, "what's next?"

"We wait," Naru announced unhappily.


	18. The Child Chapter 14

**A/N:** Finally! I've been waiting to write this chapter since the beginning, so I was really nervous about getting it right. I hope it turned out well. Thanks for reading and please enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

7:30 am, Friday, October 22nd.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

Mai sighed, placing her hands on the edge of the sink. She closed her eyes, waiting for the whistle of the kettle. Naru had requested tea yet again. Throughout the night, he had ordered Mai to make tea practically every two hours. It was starting to drive her crazy and she would have refused this last time if Lin hadn't requested it as well.

The feel of cold metal beneath her palms brought a sudden thought to Mai's mind. She quickly opened her eyes, looking down into the sink. A shadow of her reflection stared back out of the polished metal. She found it strange, thinking what had previously occurred here, yet there were no lingering traces of blood. It was as if nothing so horrible had happened. The only thing that was left were the residual emotions of Hanako.

According to Naru, this was part of what caused a haunting. In certain cases of death, there are emotions so strong that they leave imprints behind. Apparently, these imprints are collections of two-dimensional information that is decoded by a person based on their experiences and knowledge. This information would then take on the form of a three-dimensional spirit through something like a holograph.

This explanation didn't make much sense to Mai and she found it hard to reconcile with her own experiences, but Naru admitted that this didn't explain all psychic phenomena relating to spirits, such as poltergeist activity.

At the moment, there wasn't any activity, but last night there had been. Mai had nearly flipped when Naru had told her to make tea the moment it started. She heavily protested and the only thing Naru offered in response was, "Use your spells." Mai couldn't believe he was that hard up for tea, and she got the feeling he might have just been messing with her. Luckily, Lin had insisted she wait until after the activity finished and Naru relented. Regardless of the current lack of activity, Mai was sure Lin was monitoring her through the camera.

The whistle from the kettle sounded, signaling that the water had come to a boil. Mai quickly poured the water into the teapot and cups to warm them.

As Mai was pouring off the water, she happened to glance out the window. She quickly snapped her head up when she realized what she saw. Satoshi had just walked past the kitchen window outside and was heading towards the backyard.

Her first thought was that he should be in school right now, but then she realized he was heading towards the woods. She quickly set down the teapot and ran to the door. Still in her house slippers, Mai decided to borrow a pair of outdoor shoes that sat by the entrance. Flinging open the side door, she ran outside to follow Satoshi.

"Satoshi-kun!" Mai cried out. "Don't go into the woods!"

The boy didn't respond as he continued walking. Mai ran faster, attempting to close the distance between them as Satoshi neared closer to the edge of the woods.

"Stop!" Mai tried again when the boy finally reached the treeline.

Satoshi refused to listen to her cries. He stepped into the woods without pausing. Mai reached the edge of the woods moments later, but the boy had disappeared. The trees were sparse, allowing the early morning sunlight to filter in, but Mai could find no signs of Satoshi. It was as if he had never been there at all.

"Satoshi-kun?!" Mai shouted frantically. "Satoshi-kun?!"

There was no reply. Mai took a few steps forward, quickly scanning the area.

"Satoshi-kun?!" she yelled, fearing for the boy.

"Mai!" Naru called out.

Mai quickly spun around. She saw Naru running towards her across the yard, a panicked expression on his face.

"Mai!" he shouted. "Get out of the woods!"

Mai suddenly realized her mistake, but before she could move, she felt a pair of hands grasp her ankles, tugging her back. She let out a shriek, which was abruptly cut off as she impacted with the ground, twigs snapping beneath her. Her breath was knocked from her with the force of the fall. The hands around her ankles tugged hard, roughly pulling Mai through the tree debris. She grimaced in pain at the stinging sensation on her bare arms as they sustained fresh cuts.

"Mai!" Naru shouted, increasing his pace. He had nearly reached the treeline.

"Naru!" Mai cried out as she was dragged backwards. "Help me!"

"MAI!" came Lin's voice as he burst from the house.

"KOUJO!" Mai screamed, looking past Naru to her husband.

A thought flitted through her mind at the sight of Lin. She had promised him that he wouldn't lose her, given him her word that she would never leave him. Knowing beyond a doubt that Lin wouldn't reach her in time and that there was nothing Naru could do without killing himself, Mai gathered all her strength. She twisted her torso to face whatever had grabbed her. A dark miasma encircled her feet and ankles.

"RIN PYŌ TŌ SHA KAI JIN RETSU ZAI ZEN!" Mai shouted, forming the kuji-kiri in the air as she brandished the sword seal. "BE GONE!"

The swirling haze hurtled backwards, as if pushed by the force of her voice, slowly dispersing before it completely vanished.

"Mai!" Naru shouted as he ran up to her.

Mai sighed in relief as he helped her to her feet.

"Idiot," Naru panted, out of breath, " what were you thinking?!"

"Mai! Naru!" Lin shouted.

When the pair turned towards Lin's voice, they were surprised to find that they could not see him. An unusually thick fog had rolled in without their notice, reducing the visibility of everything around them. The pair could no longer make out the house or even the edge of the woods.

Naru roughly grabbed Mai's wrist, tugging her behind him in the direction the house had been. After several meters, it became apparent that they were no longer in the same area as when they entered the woods. They were now hopelessly lost.

"Damn it!" Naru cursed. "Why can't you ever stay out of trouble?"

"If you hadn't sent me for tea," Mai responded angrily, "then this wouldn't have happened!"

She was on the verge of shedding angry tears, hating herself for being so reckless, when she heard her husband's voice.

"Mai!" Lin shouted through the fog, cutting off their argument. His voice sounded distant to the pair.

"Dimensional shift," Naru muttered. "Just great. I ordered him to stay in the base and now he's lost, too."

Ignoring Naru's muttering, Mai turned in the direction of Lin's voice.

"Koujo!" she shouted.

There was no response. The woods were eerily quiet, devoid of both birdsong and the hum of insects.

"What are we going to do, Naru?" Mai asked, feeling despondent.

"I'm not sure," Naru admitted. "Lin's always the one who saves us in these kinds of situations."

"Damn egotist," Mai grumbled. "Why didn't you send him in the first place?"

Naru scowled at Mai, too prideful to admit she was right. He had blindly ran to save her and ordered Lin to stay behind. If he had been thinking logically, he would have realized it was best the other way around. Obviously, Lin had obeyed Naru for less than a minute anyway and followed hot on his heels.

The pair was broken from their angry stare down as a howl pierced the silence. The sound was some distance off and was quickly followed by deep, menacing growls.

Suddenly, a high-pitched whistle sounded through the fog. Almost instantly, pained yelps and whimpers joined the growls. Barking and snapping jaws echoed through the woods before there was an abrupt silence.

"Koujo…" Mai whispered, worried for his safety. "Do you think he's alright, Naru?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly, visibly shaken.

His reply depressed her, giving her little room to feel hope, but nevertheless, she would not give up believing he'd come to her soon.

"Mai," Naru said suddenly, backing up to her. "Stay still."

Looking around her, Mai could see not just the glow of one pair of eyes, but nine. Low growls began as the glowing eyes slowly grew closer.

"Mai," Naru whispered, grabbing her hands, his back still to hers, "can you act as an amplifier?"

"...I don't know," Mai replied hesitantly. "Wouldn't it be better if I use my spells?"

"There's nothing you can do if they were strong enough to take out Lin," Naru tried to reason.

"Don't say that," Mai pleaded. "He's fine. He'll come for us."

"Mai, you don't know that," Naru argued. "Now help me toss the energy."

"I'm not Gene! I don't have his skill," Mai insisted.

"Just try it!" Naru whispered angrily.

"Fine," Mai replied, concentrating on connecting a line to Naru.

When he felt Mai connect, Naru attempted to send a seed of energy to her, but nothing happened. The eyes continued to approach, the silhouettes of their owners gaining form. They took the shape of large, black dogs.

"Damn it, Mai," Naru cursed. "If you don't try, we're dead, too."

"He's alive, Naru," Mai told him with certainty. "And he's coming for us."

"Mai—" Naru abruptly quieted at the sound of hurried footsteps rustling through the fallen leaves.

Suddenly, Lin appeared from the fog, hair swept back and eyes full of fury. He quickly brought his fingers to his mouth, releasing an ear shattering whistle. It ripped through the surrounding air like a clap of thunder. Mai and Naru quickly placed their hands to their ears, attempting to block out the painful noise.

In the same instant as his shrill whistle, Lin's five shiki hurtled forward, forcefully dispersing the circle of spirits that entrapped Mai and Naru.

"Koujo!" Mai exclaimed as he made his way to her.

Lin immediately grabbed Mai's hand.

"Take Naru's hand and don't let go," he ordered.

She did as she was told.

"We need to hurry, but watch your step," Lin said, then turned to lead them through the fog.

The trio struggled to move quickly through the trees, their progress slowed by fallen logs and the uneven ground. Mai stumbled several times, but managed to keep her footing due to the two men on either side of her. The closer they came to the exit of the woods, the thinner the trees grew and the faster their stride became.

When they finally thought they would make it out of the evil maze, a wispy smoke began to form ahead of them. Mai recognized it as the presence that had dragged her here. Lin felt her hand tense in his and instantly knew. He wouldn't stand for anything trying to take her from him.

"Rin Pyō Tō Sha Kai Jin Retsu Zen Gyō!" Lin bellowed his unique kuji, never once slowing his pace.

The offending spirit was forcefully repelled from them before exploding with a loud bang that echoed through the trees. Mai and Naru widen their eyes in shock, but continued to run the remaining distant to the edge of the woods. The man at their side was a terrifying presence.

They broke into a full sprint upon leaving the woods, only stopping once they had reached the front of the house. Naru and Mai bent over, coughing as they attempted to catch their breath. Lin watched them as he slowly paced, arms raised above his head, breathing deeply.

"Why did you go into the woods," Naru finally bit out as he stood straight.

"I saw Satoshi-kun," Mai replied, applying pressure to the cramp in her side.

"Idiot," Naru said scathingly, "didn't you stop to think it was an illusion!"

"Of course I realize now that it had been," Mai replied angrily, "but what if it hadn't been? You always say our job is to protect the client!"

"But use your common sense!" Naru demanded.

"Would you two be quiet," Lin interrupted. He stopped just in front of the pair, ruffling his hair so that his long forelock fell to cover his right eye once again.

Naru and Mai immediately quieted, giving Lin a cautious look. Lin frowned at the pair's reaction, reaching forward to grab their arms. He pulled them against him, wrapping them in his embrace. They instantly relaxed and returned the embrace. Lin rested his chin atop Mai's head.

"If I had lost you two…" he mumbled. He shook his head and remained quiet.

They stood quietly for a couple of minutes until Mai spoke up.

"Koujo," she said.

"Hm?" he hummed in response.

"How did you find us?" she asked.

"Thermal radiation," he stated simply.

"You can see that?" Mai said in wonder.

"Mm-hmm," he confirmed, nodding slightly against her.

They fell into silence again, attempting to calm themselves after their ordeal. After a short time, there came the sound of cars pulling up to the house. Lin quickly dropped his hold and backed away.

"Yo!" came Takigawa's voice, followed by the sound of a car door slamming. "Long time no see!"

"Bou-san!" Mai happily called out, quickly going to meet him. Naru slowly followed after.

"Jou-chan," Takigawa greeted, embracing Mai in a tight hug.

"You carefree person," Ayako nagged as she approached the pair, "her husband is right there."

Takigawa released Mai, stepping back. He raised a hand in greeting to Lin, who nodded in response, but didn't approach.

"He knows there's no harm," Takigawa commented.

Naru reached them just as John walked up.

"Shibuya-san. Mai-san," John said in greeting.

Naru nodded in response.

"Hello, John," Mai happily greeted. "I see Yasuhara-san arrived with everyone."

"Indeed," Yasuhara confirmed, coming to stand in the huddle.

"Taniyama-san," Lin called out, remaining back from the group.

Mai turned to look at Lin, then quickly made her way to him. The group watched as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. She nodded, then ran over to Naru and whispered something to him.

"Alright," Naru agreed. "I'll join you shortly."

Mai hurried back to Lin and the two walked into the house.

"What was that about?" Takigawa asked.

"Something personal," Naru replied, offering nothing further.

"Did something happen?" Yasuhara joined in.

"Indeed," Naru confirmed, "but let's not talk about it out here."

He then turned from them and retreated back to the house.

* * *

 **Notes:**

Kuji: Nine syllables. The kuji originate in Taoism. The ones Mai uses are: 臨(Rin), 兵(Pyō), 闘(Tō), 者(Sha), 皆(Kai), 陳(Jin), 烈(Retsu), 在(Zai), 前(Zen). The ones Lin uses are: 臨(Rin), 兵(Pyō), 闘(Tō), 者(Sha), 皆(Kai), 陳(Jin), 烈(Retsu), 前(Zen), 行(Gyō) . I'm not sure why he uses this version. Maybe because 臨兵闘者皆陳烈前行 is closer to the original Chinese Taoist version 臨兵斗者皆陣列前行, which translates to: " _Celestial soldiers descend and arrange yourselves in front of me!_ " or " _May all those who preside over warriors be my vanguard!_ " Lin uses his version in book 6, which hasn't been translated to English yet. You can see this in the manga as well.

Kuji-kiri: Cutting the nine syllables or nine cuts. There are many other ways to use the kuji, according to my understanding.

Thermal radiation: Apparently, Lin's right eye can see electromagnetic waves that regular humans can't see. I'm taking the liberty of assuming he can see thermal radiation like a thermographic camera. It's possible that he can see radio waves or even have x-ray vision. I haven't found too much info about his right eye. But yeah, it's bothersome to him, so he has a forelock. Or maybe he's just embarrassed of his heterochromia.


	19. The Child Chapter 15

**A/N:** It's been a while...

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

8:00 am, Friday, October 22nd.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

Mai let out a small whimper.

"Koujo, it hurts," she whined.

"I'm sorry, Mai, but I need to do this," he replied firmly.

She involuntarily hissed at the pain, squirming slightly. Lin tightened his hold on her wrist to prevent her from struggling.

"Do you have to be so rough?" she complained.

Frowning, Lin loosened his hand. He brought Mai's wrist to his lips and placed a gentle kiss there. He then looked up at her from his kneeling position in front of her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "The cuts on your arms need to be cleaned. They're full of dirt."

"I know," Mai pouted. She then looked down, still feeling shaken from their recent ordeal.

Lin gave her a questioning look.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I thought you'd be happy everyone was here."

"I am happy everyone is here," she insisted, "but…"

"But?" Lin prompted.

"It was so awful, Koujo," Mai whispered. "I thought I had lost you. I didn't want to believe it, but Naru…"

"Mai," Lin interrupted, "do you honestly think I would let anyone or anything tear us apart?"

"Not without putting up a fight," she conceded, "but you can't guarantee that."

Lin was thoughtful for a few moments as he considered her words. She made a valid argument, but he just couldn't imagine letting anything take her away from him. He knew he would fight for her no matter what. But he was only human after all.

"I understand how you feel," he admitted, "but you must have known I was still alive and that I would come for you."

"That's what I believed," Mai responded. "However, I didn't know whether that was just wishful thinking or the truth."

"Couldn't you feel my presence?" Lin questioned. "I felt yours."

"Presence as in aura?" Mai asked.

Lin nodded.

"I can see it sometimes," she admitted, "around you and your protective charms, but I'm not sure if I can feel it."

Lin tilted his head slightly.

"Close your eyes," he instructed.

Mai did as he asked.

"Now extend your aura," he continued.

Mai frowned slightly, but kept her eyes closed.

"How?" she asked.

"Do you remember how I told you that aura is simply the release of ch'i from our bodies?" Lin questioned.

"Yes, I remember," Mai confirmed. "And Qigong allows us to amplify and control ch'i for a certain purpose."

"Exactly so," Lin agreed, pleased with her response. "And the purpose in this case, is to feel the energy of what's around you. If you let your ch'i extend around you to interact with your environment, you can use it to enhance your perception. The purpose here is not to move objects as is the case for PK-ST and PK-MT, but to mix your energy with another living target's energy as is the case for PK-LT."

"But Koujo," Mai interjected, "I can't use PK at all."

"That's not necessarily true," Lin countered. "I told you, with enough training, anyone can do it to some extent."

"But I don't have enough power for that kind of thing," Mai argued. "My power is mediocre."

Lin pulled Mai forward, placing the side of his face against her stomach as he hugged her to him.

"—Koujo," Mai exclaimed, opening her eyes, "what are you doing?"

Lin held her tighter and after a moment, Mai placed her arms around him.

"I hate how they tell you those things," he answered.

"Who?" Mai asked.

"Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san," he clarified. "—And Naru, too. You're not dumb and you're not powerless, and I can't stand that they've left you with that insecurity."

"Koujo..." Mai whispered. She loved that he believed in her, but it was true that her powers weren't very strong. Most of the time it felt like she was stumbling through her abilities. Regardless, she would do it if Koujo believed in her. "—Alright, I'll try it."

Lin slowly pulled back, keeping his hands on Mai's hips. He looked at her intently and nodded.

Mai closed her eyes, evening out her breathes. She slowly tried pushing energy out from her core, extending it in front of her. Though her eyes were closed, she thought she could faintly see Lin's white aura. Not him, just his aura. But she still wasn't sure if she could feel anything.

She was about to speak up when she did feel something. It was small, but distinct. She tried to grasp onto it.

The door slid open with a bang and Mai's eyes snapped open.

"Lin," Naru barked.

Lin leaned to the side, peering around Mai. He blinked slowly, but did not speak.

"What were those dogs?" Naru asked.

"I believe they were inugami," Lin responded as he leaned back to attend to Mai's wounds once more.

"What is that?" Naru asked as Mai hissed in pain.

Before responding, Lin gave Mai a stern look as she tried to squirm away again. When she settled down, he replied,

"They're similar to shikigami, however, they're conjured through a complex and cruel ceremony."

"How so?" Naru questioned.

Lin frowned before explaining.

"A domesticated dog must be buried up to its neck with only it's head remaining above ground. Following this, a bowl of food or water must be placed in sight, but just out of reach. After several days, just as the dog is on the brink of death, its head must be severed and buried beneath a busy street. Eventually, the head and body of the dog are to be placed in a well-prepared shrine. From this, an inugami is invoked."

"That's awful!" Mai yelled in outrage.

Lin nodded.

"But how can they still be here if Kiyoshi summoned them?" Naru questioned seriously.

"To be honest, I don't know," Lin admitted, then frowned slightly. "The circumstances are peculiar. They're generally created by Onmyōji. Admittedly, they were very weak, but the fact that they exist at all suggests that Kiyoshi had some potential to become a powerful Onmyōji. Still, that doesn't explain why they're subsisting in this realm."

"Do we have a solution for dealing with them?" Naru questioned.

"I believe this is a task for Matsuzaki-san," Lin replied.

"Seriously!?" Mai said unintentionally.

"We are surrounded by woods," Naru pointed out. "Or perhaps you missed that fact when you carelessly strolled right in."

Mai clenched her jaw, but didn't offer any comment.

Lin was silent for a few moments before continuing.

"In any case," he said, "Matsuzaki-san should be able to release their spirits. After that, unless he decides to hide himself, taking care of Kiyoshi's spirit should be a simple matter for Takigawa-san and Brown-san."

"And what about Noboru?" Naru inquired.

"He is no longer an issue," Lin stated.

"Oh?" Naru said, raising an eyebrow.

Lin nodded.

"I banished him from this world," he answered, "but it will be some time before I can recharge my powers."

Naru nodded.

"For the time being," he said, "we'll listen to what Yasuhara-san discovered. Perhaps he uncovered something useful. It's best to be safe just in case."


	20. The Child Chapter 16

**A/N:** I know it's been a long time. I got caught up in translating the novels and ended up wanting to wait for some information. Also, it seemed like people lost interest in this story, so I was less motivated. But thank you to everyone who has been reading and following this story and to those who have reviewed and messaged me with words of encouragement to continue.

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

8:30 am, Friday, October 22nd.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

The door to the base slid open and the occupants of the room all turned to witness the arrival of the three SPR members.

"Yo, Naru-bou," Takigawa called out, "who's this?"

He was pointing to the sketch of Kiyoshi posted on their investigation board.

"Our ghost," Naru answered. He then turned his gaze to Ayako. "Matsuzaki-san, did you call the school?"

Ayako nodded.

"Satoshi-kun arrived on time this morning," she informed him, "and he's been there since."

Naru nodded.

"Good," he replied and turned his gaze to Yasuhara this time. "Yasuhara-san, did you find any information at the orphanage?"

Yasuhara nodded gravely.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I met a man who claims to have been the closest friend of Sasaki Kiyoshi."

Naru's eyes gleamed with interest. He was intrigued by this newest bit of information.

"Is that so?" he calmly inquired.

"Kimura Kei-san," Yasuhara responded. "He's a worker at the orphanage, and apparently he grew up there as well. Being a victim of domestic child abuse and eventually abandoned at the orphanage, he's lived there most of his life."

"Did he have anything useful to say?" Naru inquired.

Yasuhara nodded.

"It took some coaxing to get him to talk," he admitted, "but he eventually confessed to being the last person to see Kiyoshi before he disappeared."

Naru's eyes momentarily widened in surprise, but he had regained his composure in a flash.

"Is that so?" he questioned.

Again, Yasuhara nodded, his expression still grave.

"According to Kimura-san," he reported, "Kiyoshi had asked him to go visit a secret shrine in the woods by his old house. On the way, they ended up quarreling. Kimura-san claims he had caused the fight, but wouldn't say why. Though he did say that he fled the moment he had the chance. He's unaware of what happened to Kiyoshi after that."

"Does he know where this secret shrine is located?" Naru questioned.

"Oddly enough, Kimura-san said he had a map," Yasuhara replied, "so I convinced him to give it to me. He says he never tried to find the shrine because…"

"Because?" Naru prompted.

"Well, I suppose this is all hearsay," Yasuhara said hesitantly, "so there's no telling if it's true, but Kiyoshi told Kimura-san that he had witnessed his father murder a woman at the shrine and, being discovered by his father, was watched relentlessly afterwards. Because of this, Kimura-san was afraid to go alone and find a body."

"What the heck!" Mai exclaimed. "This case is seriously messed up. I can't tell who's the villain and who's the victim."

"It doesn't matter," Naru responded. "We're just here to collect the data and exorcise the spirits."

"But still…" Mai weakly protested. "I don't know how Hanako could live with all this. I wonder if she even knew."

"Anyway," Naru said, changing the topic, "Matsuzaki-san, I need you to take care of the minions. Afterwards, if his spirit isn't cleansed, we'll see if the map leads us to Kiyoshi's remains."

"Minions?" Ayako asked in confusion.

"Our ghost has his own enslaved spirits," Naru clarified.

"Like shikigami?" Ayako questioned.

"Inugami," Lin corrected.

Ayako frowned and opened her mouth to speak again.

"What are—"

"Suffice it to say they need to be taken care of," Naru interrupted.

"Alright," Ayako conceded. "There are plenty of trees here, but it would helpful if there was a more traditional shrine nearby."

"There's one in the back garden," Naru informed her.

"There is?" Mai questioned.

"Didn't I just say that," Naru replied harshly.

Mai conceded that it was a dumb question and remained quiet.

"Moving on," Naru continued, "Lin and Mai, I want you to gather the equipment to record Matsuzaki-san's purification."

The pair nodded in understanding.

"Also," Naru added, "John and Bou-san, prepare yourselves along with Matsuzaki-san. Depending on the results, we might need to perform an exorcism. It's likely Kiyoshi's spirit will resist purification, but since his motivations for remaining here are unclear, we can't be sure."

"There's no spirit that can't be purified," Ayako interjected.

"That may be the case," Naru conceded, "but we've had a few unexpected results thus far."

"And what shall I do?" Masako asked.

"I want you to stay behind and watch the equipment with Yasuhara-san," Naru responded.

Masako looked down unhappily and hid partially behind her kimono sleeve. She felt slightly bitter that she couldn't be of more use to him, but nodded in agreement nonetheless.

Mai couldn't help taking notice of her hurt expression. Even after all this time, Mai knew Masako was still in love with Naru and just wanted to be useful to him. Knowing Naru's disposition, she couldn't help feeling sorry for Masako.

"Everyone prepare yourselves," Naru ordered. "We'll go to the shrine beforehand to set up. Come along once you're ready."

~oOo~

Naru, Lin and Mai transported the equipment out to the shrine. It was moderately sized and, unlike the teahouse, which could be seen some distance off, well maintained. Mai couldn't help taking notice of the sharp contrast of the neat backyard to the old dilapidated teahouse. It gave off a dark foreboding. It was as if the Hayashi family refused to acknowledge its existence and as a result, it fell into neglect.

Naru noticed Mai's gaze.

"Don't worry about the teahouse," he ordered, "Hara-san already cleansed the spirits from there. Let's get this equipment set up."

Mai looked back at Naru for a moment before nodding. She walked over to Lin, who was unwinding the cable for the camera, and started setting up the stands. They continued working mostly in silence, making sure of their placement since the grounds of the shrine were located half in the woods.

The entire time, Mai couldn't stop thinking about Masako. Even after all these years, regardless of her busy schedule, she always found the time to help when Naru called. All this time, Masako had been waiting for him to acknowledge her as more than a colleague. It reminded her a little bit of her and Lin's early relationship.

"Naru," Mai said uncertainly.

Naru glanced at her.

"What?" he asked.

Mai paused for a moment.

"I know this might not be the best time to say this," she admitted, "but seeing the pain so clearly on Masako's face, I can't keep quiet."

"Mai," Naru said warningly, "we have a case to complete."

"I know," Mai conceded, "but I want you to promise me now that you'll give her a chance. She deserves to be happy. You both do."

Naru smiled wryly.

"Would you still say that if you knew how poorly she thought of your choice of husband?" he asked.

Mai sighed.

"She's just upset because she was the last to find out," she informed him. "I haven't had the chance to talk to her about it and if she said something, she likely didn't mean it."

"You're quick to forgive," Naru remarked.

"Because she's my friend," Mai responded. "And so are you. I think you could find happiness together."

Naru frowned and looked at Mai contemplatively, unconsciously placing a hand against his tie. He realized his involuntary action as he felt the residual emotions seep through the fabric. He quickly removed his hand and placed it against his side. He didn't know if he had the ability to experience that level of emotion for another person.

"It could never compare…" he said quietly.

He could never feel the way Mai did for Lin. His mind didn't allow for that.

Mai smiled softly.

"You love us," she stated. "So you're capable of loving others. Stopped telling yourself you can't."

Naru looked away petulantly.

"Fine, whatever," he muttered. "We don't have time for a heart to heart."

Mai nodded with a smile and went about finishing the setup.

Looking up from their completed work, Mai saw Ayako heading towards them with John and Takigawa. Ayako was wearing her bright red hakama and was carrying a bottle of sake and the branch of a sakaki tree. As Mai had expected, a bell was attached to the sakaki branch. John and Takigawa were both in the black robes for their respective religions.

Stopping in front of them, Ayako looked around the grounds of the shrine.

"Magnificent," she said quietly. "Even though I can sense a darkness deep within the heart of the trees, there's still faith and purity within and around this shrine. The trees here are thriving. Simply magnificent."

Mai considered Ayako's words. This place did have a different aura than the ruined teahouse. It gave off a much brighter feeling. There were even a few large trees with wide trunks.

Ayako began the preparation of the cleansing, scattering sake on the roots of some of the trees. Then, she erected the sakaki branch in the ground and the bell gave off a clear jingling sound.

"I will begin," Ayako informed them as she placed her hands together. "I reverently offer this prayer for thy presence…"

Mai recognized the prayer as the same one Ayako always used. And just as it was whenever Ayako prayed to the trees, her aura had changed, growing stronger. After she finished her prayer, she began to form the hand seals for the nine syllables, using the formal method rather than the quick, nine cuts version.

"Rin...Pyō..."

In response to each syllable, a clear chime resounded through the crisp morning air. Mai waited in anticipation for the spirits of the trees to descend. She wasn't disappointed. Just like the last time she had witnessed this, faint figures drifted out from the trunks of the large trees. They were old men with long beards. They quietly gathered and walked towards the sakaki branch, disappearing upon arrival.

After watching the last one disappear, Ayako carefully formed the sword seal. She began cutting the air in an alternating pattern of five horizontal and four vertical lines.

As Ayako sliced the air for the final time, a dense fog began to form in the woods directly in front of them. Nine figures began to slowly emerge from the fog. Mai frowned. They weren't quite visible yet, but they in no way appeared to be the figures of dogs. The figures Mai saw were standing erect like humans.

As those figures fully emerged from the obscuring fog, they took on the form of anthropomorphic dogs. Their black fur was matted and above their snarling snouts, which were packed with sharp teeth, their eyes glowed red.

Mai's body froze in terror. Lin reached down and grabbed ahold of her hand.

"Don't worry," he whispered reassuringly. "It's just another form the inugami take on."

Ayako reached down for the sakaki branch. Despite the terrifying appearance of the inugami, she stood firm and confident.

"The time for you to rest has finally come," she declared.

As the inugami approached her, Ayako shook the sakaki branch at them. Each time, the bell chimed and, before dissolving into the air, the figures returned to their original states. Finally, after all nine figures had disappeared, Ayako erected the branch within the earth and the bell untied itself, falling to the ground.


	21. The Child Chapter 17

**Disclaimer** : All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

9:30 am, Friday, October 22nd.

Location: Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu.

"Well, not that it's a surprise, but you were right," Ayako commented. "The boy's spirit wouldn't approach."

Naru placed his chin in one hand and tapped it contemplatively. He had only seen nine spirits. That meant, in addition to Kiyoshi, Hanako's spirit hadn't been cleansed. Perhaps he had failed to notice her presence?

"There were only nine spirits, right?" he asked.

"That's right," Ayako confirmed.

Mai suddenly snapped out of her state of paralysis.

"Wait a minute," she interjected. "Does that mean Hanako's spirit wasn't cleansed?"

"That was my thought," Naru admitted.

"Wait!" Ayako exclaimed. "You're telling me there's another spirit?"

"Yes," Naru answered. "You couldn't tell?"

Ayako frowned and shook her head.

"I could only sense a boy's spirit. Are you sure her spirit is still here?"

Naru fell into thought. It didn't seem likely that she would simply disappear on her own.

"I don't think she would leave of her own accord," he stated. "She should still be in this location. Unless— Lin, you didn't happen to banish Hanako by mistake, did you?"

Lin shook his head.

"There's no doubt it was Noboru."

Naru nodded, easily accepting his words. He reached down to press the PTT button on his radio.

"Hara-san, I'd like you to confirm the presence of spirits in this location," he requested.

He paused as he waited for her to answer.

"Are you sure?" he questioned in response to her words.

Again, he waited for her answer.

"Alright, thank you," he replied.

"What did she say?" Mai asked.

"She can no longer sense Noboru's spirit," he answered, "but she's certain Hanako's is still here."

Ayako crossed her arms and clicked her tongue in annoyance. Mai bit her lip nervously in response. She understood the tension these sorts of discrepancies caused.

"She still doesn't sense Kiyoshi's spirit?" Mai questioned.

"No," Naru confirmed, "but that doesn't mean she's wrong. Nor does it mean Matsuzaki-san is wrong."

"Well, either way," Takigawa spoke up, "what's the plan?"

Naru reached into his pocket and grabbed ahold of the thick paper within. He pulled it out and gently unfolded it. He took a minute to memorize it, then folded it once again and placed it back into his pocket.

"It's possible Hanako is waiting for her son's spirit to depart," he answered. "When the time comes, we'll deal with that. As for the boy, it appears we'll have to search for his body. If he was sealed in the woods by his father, then I think it's safe to assume it was at that shrine."

"Into the woods, then?" Takigawa asked.

Naru nodded in confirmation.

"Now that his minions are gone, he should put up less resistance," he reasoned, "but we need to stick close. Hold onto each other's hand or clothing."

"Is it like that old school house with the kids?" Takigawa asked.

"It seems similar," Naru agreed.

Takigawa sighed.

"This group has too many guys," he grumbled. "At least Shōnen isn't here."

"That may be so," Naru replied, "but it can't be helped. —Mai, I want you to go back to the house and wait."

"No way!" she immediately protested.

"Don't be an idiot," Naru responded. "It'll be one less person to protect."

"I can protect myself!" she argued. "I'm not letting you two go in there without me."

"She'll be fine, Naru-bou," Takigawa put in. "She can even hold my hand."

Lin immediately grabbed Mai's hand in response.

"Or not..." Takigawa mumbled.

Naru pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"This isn't a joke," he snapped.

"Naru," Lin addressed, "I think it would be better to keep our forces strong. There's no telling what could happen."

"That's exactly why Mai should stay behind," Naru argued.

Lin shook his head.

"I don't agree."

Naru glared at him.

"You of all people should worry about her safety the most."

"I do," Lin conceded. "But I know she can defend herself and I'd rather she stay close to me."

Naru clenched his jaw. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Then you can stay behind as well," he ordered.

"That's not happening," Mai and Lin spoke in unison.

Ayako sighed loudly.

"Those two are more stubborn than you are," she noted. "After all this time, I think you should just trust them."

"For once, I agree with Ayako," Takigawa commented. "But what about the equipment?"

Naru sighed irritably. Perhaps his worry for the pair was clouding his judgement. Wouldn't it be better to have the two he trusted most by his side?

"Fine," he conceded. "The equipment should be fine if we leave it here for now. As much as I'd like the data, it'd be too risky to take it with us."

Takigawa held out his hand to Ayako.

"Shall we then?" he asked.

Ayako sighed and shook her head before grabbing his hand.

"This carefree old man."

~oOo~

The rustling of the fallen leaves resounded throughout the woods as the group made their way deeper in. The fog had receded to ground level and softly licked about their ankles. The white swirl made it difficult to avoid making too much noise and Mai couldn't help jumping every time a twig snapped beneath someone's foot causing a harsh reverberation.

"Naru," Mai whispered, "are we almost there?"

A loud crack sounded nearby and Naru felt Mai's hand tighten around his.

"Why'd you come if you're so scared," he berated.

"Obviously because you're useless," she retorted. "You can't protect yourself without having a heart attack."

There was a loud shriek that rang through the area. Mai froze in fear. Even Naru was startled and paused in his tracks.

"Just wildlife," Lin calmly murmured.

Mai nodded and released the tension from her shoulders. She shook Naru's hand to get him to move, but when he remained still, she gently pushed against his shoulder. He shrugged her off and urged the group to walk on. It wasn't much longer until they approached a rocky area.

"This should be it," Naru told everyone.

"Where's the shrine?" Ayako questioned.

"There should be a cave somewhere," he answered. "Everyone look around."

They divided into two groups and looked around the rocky area. The trees nearby looked dead and twisted. It created a sinister aura and Mai clung tightly to Lin's arm.

"Yo, Naru-bou," Takigawa called out, "over here."

Naru, Lin, and Mai quickly made their way over to the others, who were standing in front of a medium sized boulder. From the looks of it, it seemed as if it might be closing off the entrance to a small cave.

"What do you think," Takigawa asked, "will it budge?"

"We should at least try," Naru responded, "but don't let your guard down."

"Right," Takigawa acknowledged. "—Lin, could you give me a hand?"

Lin nodded and started to walk over when he felt Mai slightly tug him back. She was still holding him tightly. He looked down at her and gently raised his hand to place it over one of hers that held his arm. He squeezed it tightly.

"Be ready," he instructed before releasing her hand.

Mai nodded and slowly unwrapped her arms from him. She watched him as he calmly walked over to Takigawa. As always, he didn't seem anxious in the slightest.

Together, Lin and Takigawa pushed against the boulder. Slowly, it slid along the moist ground. A noxious air rushed out as a crevice formed between the boulder and entrance.

Takigawa immediately turned away, walking off some distance, and crouched over to cough into his hand. His stomach rolled as he involuntarily gagged. When he finally got his stomach under control, he looked back at Lin, who was calmly watching over the entrance with a hand raised to cover his mouth and nose.

"Damn, Lin, you've got a strong stomach," Takigawa mumbled from behind his hand.

Lin glanced over his shoulder, but otherwise didn't respond. Takigawa took a few steadying breaths of fresh air before standing up and walking back over to Lin. The scent had slightly dissipated, but the air around the entrance still remained fetid.

Once again, the pair worked together to move the boulder, stopping once it was wide enough for a person to fit through. The inside was abnormally dark and it was impossible to see anything within.

Takigawa sighed.

"No one thought to bring a fla—"

He was suddenly pulled aside by Lin as something rushed past them. A thin trail was left behind in the fog as it quickly streaked across the ground.

"What the hell was that!?" Takigawa shouted.

Lin didn't answer as he rushed over to Mai, raising his hand to his mouth in the process. A sharp whistle split the air and there was a momentary blur in the near vicinity.

"Naru! Watch your right!" Lin called to him.

Naru quickly stepped to the left and felt something rush past his right arm. He looked around, but was unable to see anything. The area fell still as everyone stood searching. Mai frantically looked around for any signs of movement, but like Naru, she couldn't make anything out.

Suddenly, Mai saw a blurry, black mass rush towards her. Just as she lifted her hand to form the nine cuts, Lin stepped in front of her.

The moment Lin braced himself for impact, he felt something pierce into his abdomen and he reflexively struck out with his fist, making solid contact with whatever entity had rushed forward.

A gangly, withered creature was thrown back and crashed onto the ground. It scrambled to find purchase with its thin, spidery limbs when Takigawa tackled it, throwing all his weight on top of it. The shriek from the black, writhing husk echoed throughout the trees.

"John!" Takigawa called out.

John rushed over and pulled out his holy water. He sprinkled it around and began to recite a prayer.

At the same moment, Lin took an unsteady step forward, then fell to his knees as the strength left his legs.

"Koujo!" Mai screamed as she grabbed ahold of him.

She saw that he had his hands firmly pressed against his midsection. They were covered in blood. Her hand immediately joined his, increasing the pressure against the wound as she shakily eased him into a comfortable position. She was unnerved by the warmth of his blood against her palm.

"Koujo, why would you do that!?" she demanded as angry tears spilled from her eyes.

Lin gritted his teeth, but didn't answer.

Naru quickly rushed over and kneeled down. His eyes widened drastically as he took in the amount of blood. He quickly reached for his radio.

"Hara-san! Call an ambulance!" he yelled into his mic.

Only static answered him.

"Hara-san!" he yelled again.

Still there was nothing.

"Damn it!" he cursed as he removed his headset and radio, throwing them forcefully to the ground.

"Naru!" Mai yelled.

He looked at her with wild eyes before getting ahold of himself. He quickly looked back at Ayako.

"Matsuzaki-san! Go call an ambulance!"

She looked frozen in place, but quickly snapped out of it. She nodded and ran off towards the way they came. Almost immediately, a heavy fog sprang up around her and engulfed her. She vanished along with the fog.

"Damn it!" Naru cursed again, pounding his fist against his thigh.

He quickly placed his hands against the ground, getting ready to stand, when Lin tightly grabbed ahold of his shirt.

"Don't," he choked out.

"Don't what!?" Naru snapped. "Save your life!?"

Lin couldn't help chuckling weakly.

"Wait… until it's exorcised," he requested.

Naru looked over his shoulder. Whatever that thing was, it was putting up a fight. He shook with rage, but Lin gripped his shirt tighter and pulled him closer.

"If you kill yourself…" he mumbled, "who will Mai have left?"

"Koujo!" Mai cried. "Don't talk like that!"

She unconsciously pressed harder against his wound, causing him to clench his jaw from the pain. A muted groan escaped his throat and he briefly closed his eyes as he grew lightheaded.

"Koujo, stay with me!" Mai urged.

Lin opened his eyes and shifted his vision to her face. As he expected, there were tears in her worried eyes. Still, she looked beautiful. He couldn't help thinking she was perfect as his heart raced in his chest. He realized then that he might not see her again and for once, was brought to tears.

"Mai…" he murmured.

Mai noticed his eyes shine as tears slowly began to coalesce within. It frightened her that he might cry. He had never allowed it before.

"Shh," she tried to sooth. "You're not supposed to cry."

"How can I not," he choked out, "when I'm losing you..."

Mai clenched her jaw. She wanted to weep, but forced herself to keep it together.

"This isn't the end," she told him resolutely. "I'm going to save you, but you need to stay with me. Okay?"

Lin nodded with some effort. His vision blurred slightly, but he kept his gaze on her.

Mai looked to Naru.

"Make sure he doesn't pass out," she ordered.

Naru frowned at her as she closed her eyes. He didn't know what the hell she was doing.

Recalling what Lin had told her earlier, Mai quickly extended her aura and searched for his. She immediately felt the sensation from earlier, but was disappointed when she realized it was Naru's aura and not Lin's. She angrily pushed it aside and continued to search.

"Where is it…" she mumbled.

There was a rising panic growing inside of her. What would happen if she couldn't find it? How would she go on if she lost him? These thoughts were unbearable. Fear gripped her tightly in its grasp. Despair clawed at her chest and she felt her mind begin to unravel.

No! She had to keep it together. She had to save him. Taking a steadying breath, she smothered the worries nagging at her mind. She just had to imagine what his aura might feel like. No one knew him better than she did. She thought of the moments she spent with him, the tenderness she felt whenever he smiled at her, the warmth his gentle touch always produced…

There! How could she have missed it? She hadn't realized it was there before because it always surrounded her, protected her in its embrace. It was already mingled with her own. She quickly opened her eyes and looked at Naru.

"Give me your hand," she demanded as she reached for him.

"Why?" he questioned.

"PK-LT," she answered simply.

"Are you crazy!? You could kill him!" he responded.

"Trust me, alright!" she yelled back.

He glanced at Lin. He was growing pale. At this rate, he might not make it. If he had any chance, it would be through them. Giving in, he placed his hand in Mai's.

She quickly, but gently eased Lin's hand away. He resisted for a moment, but eventually let her. She placed Naru's hand against Lin's torn flesh, then concentrated on connecting the line.

When Naru felt Mai connect, she spoke up.

"Try sending me your energy, then I'll amplify it and guide it."

He did as he was told, but nothing happened.

"Again," Mai murmured.

Again he tried, but still there was nothing.

"Again," Mai said more urgently.

Naru tried for a third time, but still there was nothing. Just as he was about to lash out in frustration, he felt the energy return. He was surprised by the strength of it.

"One more time," Mai instructed.

Naru sent the energy back as he was told. The force that returned was almost staggering. He felt Mai's consciousness crawl deeper into his mind.

"Take it easy," he said quietly.

Naru felt her ease back slightly, then felt another presence enter his mind. Somehow, he immediately knew it was Lin's. In the next instant, he could feel the energy he had pooled into his body gently seep into Lin.

Lin watched the pair, his mind foggy as he tried to stay conscious. He figured he was hallucinating at this point, but it seemed like they were surrounded in a soft, white glow.

"Like angels…" he mumbled.

The last thing he heard before blacking out was the shrill cry of sirens as they pierced the air.


	22. The Child Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

1:00 pm, Saturday, October 23rd.

As Lin slowly drifted into consciousness, the first thing he noticed was the beep of a machine. It wasn't one of the machines he worked with. Of that, he was sure. Thus, he didn't think he was back in base, but then he noticed a slow dripping noise and was left wondering if he wasn't back in that house after all. Things were soon made clear as the scent of disinfectant assailed his nose.

He understood now. He was in a hospital. Though he hadn't opened his eyes, he could tell that the room he was in was extremely bright as the sun shone through his eyelids.

Very slowly, he regained the feeling in his body. The most notable sensation was the pain radiating from his lower abdomen, but his entire body felt stiff and he ached all over. Even his palms were cramped, so he gently flexed his hands. The starched sheets scratched against the pads of his fingers.

Directly to his left there was the sound of rustling and he knew there was someone with him. He didn't have to guess who it was. He opened his mouth to talk, but found it difficult.

"You should drink some water first," Mai suggested.

After she said this, Lin felt her grab his hand and place a cup within it. She helped him take a few sips and then placed the cup down. After a moment, Lin could hear the sound of the blinds being closed. Though the light had eased, he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes.

"Does this mean you still love me?" he rasped.

"Why would I ever stop?" she questioned in return.

"You're angry," he quietly noted.

There was a long pause, then Lin heard her sigh loudly.

"Of course I'm angry," she responded, trying to keep her temper in check. "How could you be so reckless?"

"I admit I acted rashly," he conceded, "but I won't apologize for saving you."

"I'm not asking you to apologize," Mai suddenly snapped. "I'm asking you to stop putting yourself at risk on my behalf. How many more times are you going to end up in the hospital because of me?"

Lin cringed at her harsh words, but he knew she had a right to be angry. This definitely wasn't the first time he had done something like this.

"What would you have had me do?" he quietly asked.

Mai sighed again.

"I don't know, pull me out of the way maybe?" she quietly suggested. The previous harshness was absent from her voice now. "Anything is better than shielding me with your body."

Lin remained quiet. She was right, of course, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He suddenly felt Mai place a hand to his forehead before gently running her fingers through his hair.

After almost losing him, she really couldn't help but go easy on him. She didn't want to yell or be upset. She just wanted to be with him and enjoy his company.

"You don't have to hide," she said softly. "I'd prefer it if you looked at me."

It was a few moments before Lin slowly opened his eyes and met her gaze. He was glad to note that her expression held only warmth for him.

"I nearly lost my mind," she told him seriously.

Lin swallowed uneasily. He hated the thought of doing that to her.

"I'm sorry for putting you through that," he told her sincerely.

Mai gently tugged on his hair, causing him to frown.

"Ow," he complained, though it didn't hurt him in the least.

Mai released his hair and ruffled it with her hand.

"Dummy," she gently admonished, "don't think that'll get you off the hook."

Lin gently smiled and shrugged.

"I thought it might," he admitted, "but I have a contingency plan."

"Yeah, not anytime soon," she teased as she poked his side.

"Ow," he complained a little more genuinely this time.

Mai ignored his complaints.

"That reminds me," she added, "I told the doctors not to give you any pain meds. I figured you'd prefer a little pain now than a harsh month or so of cleansing."

"Now I know you're holding a grudge," he grumbled.

Mai shrugged.

"It's not like you need it anyway," she commented. "You've nearly healed already."

Lin slightly frowned. He knew it had been a fairly serious injury.

"What happened?" he asked.

Mai stared at him quietly for a few moments.

"Naru and I managed to heal you enough to stop the bleeding," she answered.

Lin was surprised.

"...how?" he wondered.

Mai shrugged.

"I found your aura," she responded. "Things just fell into place from there."

Lin sat blinking for a few moments in thought until he finally comprehended the meaning behind her words.

"Ah, I see."

Mai smiled at the way he said that so expressionlessly. Somehow, it made her feel warm inside.

"I'm glad you're back to normal," she admitted. "You were delirious for a little while. It really had me worried."

Lin quietly gazed at Mai's face before taking her hand into his. He looked down at their hands and gently caressed Mai's palm.

"You're being surprising levelheaded about this," he remarked. "After the last time…"

"This was a little more serious than the last time," she pointed out. "You'll feel my wrath little by little over time."

"That's comforting to know…"

"Well, I thought you might need a little comfort when you woke up," Mai responded. "Naru's insanely angry with you right now."

Lin sighed. He was going to get yelled at after all. He was at least glad Naru would be the one to do it and not Mai.

"Where is Naru?" he wondered.

"Wrapping up the case," she answered.

"Then that thing was able to be exorcised?" he asked.

"That _thing_ was Kiyoshi," she explained. "Whatever he had become, he was willing to fight tooth and nail to remain in this world. John and Bou-san got a little cut up, but in the end they managed to banish him."

"And how did you carry me out of the woods?" he questioned.

"Well… it seems that Hanako hung on until the end," she said uncertainly. "For whatever reason, she manipulated the fog to remove us from the woods. That's how Ayako got out so fast and called an ambulance."

"Repentance, perhaps?" Lin hazarded.

"It's likely she held regrets over her son and wanted to make things right," Mai agreed. "She easily moved on once he was gone."

Lin sighed and squeezed Mai's hand before looking up at her once more.

"I'm honestly glad it's over," he admitted.

"Me, too," she agreed.

After saying this, she leaned over and softly kissed his lips. When she stood up again, Lin pulled her down for another kiss. Mai enjoyed it for a few moments before slowly breaking the kiss and giving them some distance.

"That's enough for now," she said sternly. "I don't like the idea of making out in a hospital."

Lin agreed, but he thought he might tease her a little more.

"At least I didn't have to beg this time."

Mai rolled her eyes.

"If you don't stop bringing up the last time, I'm going to get angry and beat you up."

Lin couldn't help laughing, which in turn made his wound ache. He cringed slightly.

"It's your own fault," she said remorselessly. "You should take it easy, you're not a young man anymore."

Lin sobered slightly and stared at her silently. Their age difference had never really bothered him before, but hearing her say that, he found he didn't like it being pointed out.

"You're not going to pout now, are you?" Mai asked.

Lin shook his head.

"Regardless of my age," he commented, "I still know how to satisfy you."

Mai smiled.

"Isn't that why I love you?"

Lin frowned.

"I thought it was because of the hair."

"It's because you're you," she laughed, poking him again.

Lin gently smiled.

"And I love you because you're you."

* * *

 **Afterword:**

This is the conclusion to the case. I'd appreciate it if you let me know what you thought. I don't know if I'll add anymore chapters after this, but I certainly have other small stories in this universe. Thanks for reading!


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